Hello from Detroit Architectural rejuvenation at the Inn on Ferry Street
by Arther in Travel / Travel Tips (submitted 2010-12-06)
My abode for my last two days in Detroit was the Inn on Ferry
Street, a beautifully renovated complex of six historic buildings in the
Midtown area of Detroit. It encompasses four mansions as well as two
carriage houses that were each built for prominent Detroit families.
After many years of languishing, these buildings have been re-functioned
into 42 stunning guest rooms.
The East Ferry Avenue Historic District is a historic area in Midtown
Detroit, which is also referred to as Detroit's Cultural Centre.
Well-preserved elegant mansions from the 1880s and 1890s line the
streets and recall an era when these villas were owned by some of
Detroit's wealthiest citizens. This historic district represents one of
the largest and least altered collections of Detroit's leading
architects of the late nineteenth century
.
Midtown, the surrounding area, is also referred to as the "Cultural
Center Historic District" because of its large concentration of museums,
including the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Museum of African American
History, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Main Branch of the Detroit
Public Library, the Detroit Science Centre and the Museum of
Contemporary Art Detroit. Wayne State University is located nearby, and a
multitude of restaurants, galleries and nightlife venues make this area
a popular destination.
I had a chance to sit down with Sue Mosey, the driving force behind
the renovation of the six buildings that make up the Inn on Ferry
Street. Sue is an urban planner and the President of the University
Cultural Center Association, a non-profit organization that has aided in
planning and developing nearly $400 million in new residential projects
in Detroit's Midtown area.
Sue Mosey is one of Detroit's most visionary and influential
citizens. With more than 20 years of experience as an urban planner, Sue
has dedicated her entire career to non-profit organizations that
improve her city. She is the president of the University Cultural Center
Association, a nonprofit community development group which promotes the
revitalization and development of Detroit's Midtown area. Detroit's
lack of strong city planners and developers has created a space for
non-profit organizations and independent professionals who have been
working hard to improve the city.
Under Sue Mosey's leadership the Midtown area has attracted more than
$400 million in new residential investments; roughly 2800 housing units
have been created or are being planned. Projects include planning
support, real estate development, attraction of retailers and
businesses, beautification and public safety improvement programs, the
organization of local festivals and events and much more. Most recently
Sue is working on getting a two-mile greenway off the ground to provide
Midtown residents with safe recreational opportunities for walking,
jogging and cycling. One of her main goals is to attract more people and
businesses to the Midtown area.
To provide context for Sue Mosey's endeavours it is important to
understand a bit of Detroit's history. During the late 1800s and early
1900s Detroit was often referred to as "the Paris of the West" because
of its stunning architecture and Gilded Age mansions. From the first
half of the 19th century onwards Detroit had become a centre of
shipping, shipbuilding and manufacturing, resulting in rapid economic
growth and considerable wealth among the city's business leaders.
Around the turn of the last century Detroit became a powerhouse in
automotive manufacturing: the Ford Motor Company was founded in 1904 and
other automotive pioneers built extensive factories in Detroit. The
success of Ford's Model T made car ownership accessible to the masses
and created a large demand for automobiles. Thousands of
African-American former plantation workers migrated north to participate
in the manufacturing boom and the new prosperity offered to assembly
line workers.
The economic slowdown following the end of World War I and, from 1929
onwards, the Great Depression put a damper on these economic
aspirations. As jobs dwindled, old racial prejudices resurfaced and race
relations became severely strained during the 1920s. The 1930s were a
period of bitter labour strife in Detroit
.
During the 1940s the world's first sunken expressway was constructed in
Detroit, and World War II sparked demand for weapons and spurred
industrial growth. Changing demographics and long-entrenched racism led
to racial tensions between Detroit's African-American and White
populations which escalated into a full-scale riot in 1943 during which
34 people were killed and 600 injured.
During the 1950s and 1960s an extensive network of highways was
constructed in Detroit which made it easier for people to commute and
move into the suburbs. Poor housing conditions, economic factors and
police prejudice against African-Americans led to another devastating
race riot in 1967. This event together with school desegregation led to
white flight, a demographic trend where working and middle-class white
people moved into the suburbs. Large numbers of jobs also relocated into
the outskirts, and as a result, Detroit's tax base eroded and its
population declined from about 1.8 million in 1950 to around 900,000
today. Large tracts of housing were simply abandoned as people moved
away from the city.
The gasoline crisis of the 1970s also impacted the Detroit auto
industry while the city was increasingly afflicted by the heroin and
crack cocaine trade during the 1980s. Many of the abandoned houses had
become crack houses and havens for drug dealers. The city responded by
demolishing countless buildings, leaving behind large swaths of vacant
land, often referred to as "urban prairies". Demolitions are still
continuing today and some parts of the city are marred by large numbers
of abandoned buildings and empty lots.
However, from the 1990s and into the 2000s, Detroit started to
experience a significant revival: the Comerica Tower was built in 1993;
new state-of-the-art sports stadiums were constructed for the Detroit
Lions and the Detroit Tigers; three casinos opened inside the city. In
recent years, several large-scale events have also added to the city's
renaissance: the 2005 MLB All-Star Game, the 2006 Super Bowl, the 2006
Word Series and WrestleMania in 2007 were all held in Detroit. In
October of 2008, one of the most ambitious architectural restoration
programs was unveiled when the historic Book Cadillac Hotel was reopened
under the Westin flag after a $200 million investment and 24 years of
abandonment.
Many revival initiatives have happened in Detroit over the years, and
in the mid-town area many of them came together directly or indirectly
because of the involvement of Sue Mosey and the University Cultural
Center Association (UCCA). This non-profit organization is involved in
the organization of special events, planning, transportation and public
awareness campaigns. Sue added that since 2000 more than $2 billion have
been invested in the Midtown area. Other areas of Detroit are also
undergoing redevelopment as I witnessed myself during my walk through
the historic Brush Park neighborhood. Neighborhoods like these are an
interesting mix of shuttered buildings, vacant lots, recently restored
historic buildings and brand-new real estate developments.
