Himelhoch’s Building, also known as the Washington Arcade Building, located at 1545 Woodward Avenue. Built in 1902, the seven-story building was originally designed in the Beaux-Arts style by the prominent architectural firm Donaldson & Meier. It features a distinctive multi-story entrance archway and an intricate, highly detailed upper facade. In 1922–1923, legendary Detroit architect Albert … Read more
Post Commanders Residence. Built in 1880, this five-bedroom Victorian cottage once house the family of the officer commanding the Fort Wayne garrison. After an extensive remodeling in the 1930s and a disastrous fire in 1970, the building was restored to its original appearance by the Detroit Historical Department. Interior restoration and furnishings were provided by … Read more
Comerica Park is the iconic home stadium of the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball team. The massive scoreboard is in left-center field, showcasing several of the ballpark’s most famous signature elements: This close-up view of the historic downtown Detroit skyline, features key buildings: This wider angle of the downtown Detroit skyline, showcases the majestic Art … Read more
We were called in to evaluate an indoor public pool that had been closed for some time. Originally it was dedicated in memory of those who served in the U.S. armed forces. Pool equipment was later dedicated in memory of Mark Ebendick in 1995. The outdoor appearance is factory like with a strong horizontal emphasis. … Read more
This unpaved, overgrown section of the Dequindre Cut in Detroit, Michigan, was taken in 2007, before its full conversion into a paved urban greenway trail. The concrete overpass crossing the ditch is the Division Street Bridge. Peeking out directly behind the bridge on the left is the historic Grange Leaf Tobacco Company building (also known … Read more
August 31, 2005. Isaac Kremer and Francis Grunow worked together on the Preservation Wayne website in the historic lobby of the Guardian Building in downtown Detroit, Michigan. Both men became well-known figures in Michigan’s preservation, urban planning, and placemaking communities. September 15, 2005. James A. “Jim” Turner (left) standing alongside downtown revitalization leader Isaac Kremer … Read more
West Village is highly celebrated for its walkable, tree-lined streets situated immediately adjacent to Indian Village. The community boasts a dense concentration of highly diverse historic housing options ranging from grand, single-family Flemish Renaissance mansions to unique architectural apartment blocks like Van Dyke Manor. Built in 1905, this residence is a perfect example of the … Read more
Downtown Berkley in Oakland County, Michigan, has a long and linear downtown along 12 Mile Road. Some sections have landmark quality buildings and blocks built to the sidewalk. Most of the frontage, however, is of freestanding buildings. This makes it challenging to create the walkable urbanism needed to encourage circulation and support a vibrant small … Read more
First incorporated in 1917, Ferndale’s early development as a streetcar suburb of Detroit resulted in Ferndale having a small downtown and traditional high density development patterns. The streetcar system, with its fond memories, served Ferndale from 1895 to 1947, and was the main mode of transportation to work and play for Ferndale families for several … Read more
An increasing amount of place-based data is being made available via the Internet, though the implication this will have on historic preservation are unclear. The National Register Information System (or NRIS) is a workhorse. This database has thousands of records searchable by geography and keywords. While lacking on aesthetics and sometimes functionality (pages are often … Read more