St. Mary’s was founded by Father Martin Kundig in 1835 for the German-speaking Catholics in Detroit. This is the third oldest Catholic parish in the city. The cornerstone for the original church was laid on the feast of Corpus Christi, June 19, 1841, and the church was consecrated in honor of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on
February 2026 We visited as the work in Greektown was underway. The construction fencing and photographs were helpful. March 2026 Wayfinding signage helps to direct people around downtown Detroit. The streets are notoriously difficult to navigate due to the radiating avenues from Grand Circus Park. The Griswold Apartments, a modern residential addition built directly on top ofthe pre-existing 10-story 150
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy continues to expand in both directions between the Belle Isle bridge and the Ambassador Bridge. Not too great an imagination is needed to see future expansions beyond that. This perspective showcases a newer, modernized stretch of the award-winning Detroit Riverwalk. Distinct structural elements right next to Hart Plaza include a steel mesh and glass panel partition.
The interior of the Sweetest Heart of Mary is designed to look like a grand European cathedral, but it holds a fascinating secret: most of its seemingly heavy stone and marble features are an architectural illusion. Because the rebel congregation was funding the build themselves, they used ingenious, cost-effective substitute materials that could be crafted by local Polish immigrants. The
Oratory at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Anchor One evening in 1974, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald anchored at the Detroit River’s Belle Isle Anchorage, 800 feet off Riopelle Street, east of the Renaissance Center. The next morning, as the crew worked to raise the starboard bow anchor, a chain link separated. The 12,290 pound anchor remained on the bottom of the Detroit River. The
Mary Means when she started Main Street America had three concerns which guided her – caring for historic downtowns, but also courthouses and churches which were threatened with being lost forever. This morning while at mass at the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit, I was reflecting on our Main Street network and particularly how the conference is coming to Detroit
The Main Street Now conference is the largest gathering of downtown revitalization leaders each year. This year the conference is in Tulsa from April 12-15, 2026. Wayfinding helps to orient to the downtown. There are multiple subareas that they define. I started in the Cathedral District, moved through the Art Deco district and got as far as Utica Square by
On Good Friday in 2026, we retraced the “Seven Church” walk in Washington, DC. The first three we reached by car and found street parking outside. The final four we accessed by scooter. Starting at 1pm we were done by 5pm. St. Stephen the Martyr Distance to next church 0.8 miles, 19 minutes walk. Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
