Visit to Detroit, Michigan (2001)

Isaac Kremer/ June 20, 2001/ AI Assisted, Churches, Civic, Field Notes, Physical, preservation/ 0 comments

While ostensibly our visit on June 20, 2001, to see the Detroit Tigers play the New York Yankees, a game which they won 5-2 with a rain delay. Given my curiosity about all things Detroit, I also used this as an opportunity to explore the surrounding neighborhood. In so doing I was able to capture a snapshot of development at a time when Detroit was just starting to take off. Today when writing this in 2026, the photographs provide a snapshot of downtown Detroit during an early stage of redevelopment. Comerica Park had been completed but Ford Field and Little Ceasars Arena not quite yet. Crosswinds led the charge on redevelopment of Brush Park with many other successful developments to follow.

A massive 30 block or so area of downtown was designated for side-by-side stadium. The stadium for the Detroit Tigers was the first to be completed. Followed by a second stadium next door for the Detroit Lions. From the exterior, large surface parking lots visually and physically separated Comerica Park from the Fox Theater and Woodward Avenue.

In this view the Fox Theater is clearly a block away and separated from the stadium by a suburban-style parking lot.

Viewed from another angle across the interstate, the Woodward Facade of the Fox Theater is shown. On the far right of the frame is a massive at least nine-story parking garage to fulyl satisfy the needs of the theater. Wedged between the theater and garage is Hockeytown – a sports themed restaurant, referencing the Detroit Red Wings who played in an arena several blocks away downtown.

The area north of the stadium and theater was being redefined by market rate housing, developed by Crosswinds. At the time many people questioned the viability of new construction in the decayed Brush Park neighborhood. The initial investment ended to pay off and was followed by waves of additional public and private investment that totally transformed the neighborhood.

The sample unit gave a feeling for what downtown living could be like, with well appointed interiors, several of which had dramatic views of the city skyline outside.

Pulling further out one can see the neighborhood buildings of Brush Park, still awaiting revitalization, behind the new row of townhouses on Woodward Ave.

The historic John Harvey House, situated at 97 Winder Street in the Brush Park district. Commissioned in 1885 (completed in 1887) by John Harvey, a highly prominent Detroit pharmacist, businessman, and philanthropist. Designed by architect John V. Smith, the 11,000-square-foot mansion features a striking mix of Second Empire and Queen Anne architectural styles. It is well known for its multi-story brick turrets, prominent mansard roofs, and complex masonry work. After falling into severe disrepair during the late 20th century as the surrounding Brush Park neighborhood declined, the mansion was meticulously restored. Today, it operates as a luxury boutique hotel called The Inn at 97 Winder.

The Carlton Lofts (historically known as the Carlton Plaza Hotel), is located at 2915 John R Street Designed by the famous Detroit architect Louis Kamper and completed in 1923. It initially operated as a residential hotel. During the 1950s and 1960s, it sat at the heart of Detroit’s vibrant jazz culture. It famously served as a launching pad for the legendary singer Della Reese. The historic mid-rise structure was successfully converted into 50 individual loft condominium spaces, preserving its classic exposed brick exterior and soaring industrial windows.

This view looking south over the Brush Park neighborhood in Detroit, prior to its extensive modern redevelopment.

• The John Harvey House (Far Left): The large, historic brick structure visible on the left side is the Queen Anne/Second Empire style John Harvey House (built in 1885) located on Winder Street. Originally a grand mansion, it fell into severe disrepair over the decades. It has since been meticulously restored and operates as a luxury boutique hotel.
• Construction Trailers & Forklift: The central vacant lot is filled with staging equipment and temporary mobile offices, characteristic of the early site-clearing and stabilizing phases before the neighborhood’s mid-2010s construction boom.
• Brewster-Douglass Projects (Background): The distant brick high-rise towers visible against the skyline are the historic Brewster-Douglass public housing apartment blocks. These landmark structures were entirely demolished around 2014 to clear space for modern mixed-use residential developments.
• Fisher Freeway / I-75 Corridor (Right): The open expressway cutting along the right edge of the image is Interstate 75, separating Brush Park from the immediate Downtown sports and entertainment district.

At the time of this photograph, Brush Park was pocketed with vacant fields, parking lots, and a few heavily decayed Gilded Age mansions. Today, the landscape is almost completely unrecognizable due to massive residential investments—most notably the City Modern development—which filled these gaps with contemporary townhomes, modern flats, and restored historic homes.

Two prominent 1920s structures that stood side-by-side on Sproat Street in the Cass Corridor of Detroit, Michigan. Both buildings were designed by renowned architect [Louis Kamper] in the Renaissance Revival style for hotel magnate Lew Tuller.

• The Park Avenue Hotel (Left): Built in 1924, this 13-story building operated as a luxury hotel, a senior center (Eventide Home), and later a Salvation Army harbor light center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. To make way for the construction of Little Caesars Arena, the building was controversially imploded on July 11, 2015.
• The Eddystone Hotel (Right): Also completed in 1924, the 13-story Eddystone Building followed a matching architectural template. While its twin was demolished, a development agreement spared the Eddystone from destruction. Following an intensive adaptive reuse restoration project, the building reopened in 2022 as a thriving [92-unit modern residential apartment complex].

If you stand at this exact intersection today, the view is entirely transformed. The left side is now occupied by the open plaza infrastructure, vehicle parking, and loading docks supporting the Little Caesars Arena sports complex, while the fully restored Eddystone Apartments stand tall immediately next to it.

Donovan Building (also known as the Motown Building), stood at 2457 Woodward Avenue right along the Interstate 75 (Fisher Freeway) corridor. Designed by legendary architect Albert Kahn and completed in 1923, the 10-story Classical Revival office structure featured a characteristic stone facade and prominent arched upper windows. In 1968, Berry Gordy purchased the building to serve as the corporate headquarters for Motown Records. While the historic tracks were originally recorded at the “Hitsville U.S.A.” house on West Grand Boulevard, the Donovan Building housed the label’s corporate executive offices, sales teams, and promotion departments until the company relocated to Los Angeles in 1972. The image captures the building in its final vacant state with its lower floors completely boarded up in blue. To expand automotive parking options ahead of Detroit hosting Super Bowl XLVl, the building was fast-tracked for demolition and entirely razed in January 2006 alongside the neighboring Sanders Building. The location where the Donovan Building once stood has transitioned completely away from the gravel parking lots created in 2006. Today, this vital Woodward Avenue corner borders the vibrant District Detroit and serves as part of the surrounding entrance infrastructure near Comerica Park and Little Caesars Arena.

This view is looking directly south down Woodward Avenue (M-1) toward the heart of downtown Detroit.

• St. John’s Episcopal Church (Far Left): The striking stone bell tower rising on the left side of the street belongs to St. John’s Episcopal Church, a historic Gothic Revival building completed in 1861. Located at Woodward and I-75, it stands as the oldest church building remaining on Woodward Avenue.
• The David Broderick Tower (Background Left): Peeking out directly behind the church tower is the neoclassical, 34-story Broderick Tower. At the time of this photograph, it stood vacant with its iconic radio tower on top; it was completely restored into luxury residences in 2012.
• The Fine Arts Building / Adams Theatre (Foreground Right): The tan brick building directly on the right edge of the frame with large arched windows is the historic Fine Arts Building, which originally adjoined the Adams Theatre. This structure was demolished in 2009.
• The Fyfe Building (Midground Right): Further down the street on the right stands the tall, tan brick Fyfe Building, a historic 1919 Gothic Revival high-rise that once housed the world’s largest shoe store and now operates as apartments.

The empty spaces, parking lots, and staging tents seen along the left side of Woodward Avenue in this photo have been entirely replaced. Today, this stretch directly borders Comerica Park and the District Detroit entertainment corridor. Additionally, the center of Woodward Avenue now features the embedded tracks and overhead electrical lines of the QLINE light rail system, completely shifting the visual landscape from this early-2000s vantage point.

St. John’s Episcopal Church located at 2326 Woodward Avenue, as viewed looking east from across the Interstate 75 (Fisher Freeway) overpass. Completed in 1861 and designed by architect Jordan & Anderson, this striking stone structure is an exceptional example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. Built using limestone and sandstone, it is the oldest church building remaining on Woodward Avenue. On the absolute far left edge of the image, you can see the exposed steel structural beams and high-intensity stadium light towers of Comerica Park. This confirms the photo was taken after the baseball stadium opened its doors in April 2000. The concrete retaining wall and bridge deck on the right mark the Interstate 75 trench, which separates the church from the downtown core.

St. John’s Episcopal Church is famous not only for its beauty but also for surviving major infrastructural changes. When Woodward Avenue was significantly widened in 1936, rather than being demolished, the entire 60-ton church structure was painstakingly moved back 60 feet on steel rollers to preserve it. Today, it remains an active parish and a foundational landmark anchored between the Fox Theatre district and the District Detroit arena area.

The historic Central United Methodist Church is located at 23 East Adams Avenue. Completed in 1867 and designed by architect Gordon W. Lloyd, this magnificent limestone structure is a textbook example of High Victorian Gothic architecture. The church features a commanding, needle-like stone and slate steeple with an embedded clock face that has served as a visual anchor for Grand Circus Park for over 150 years. The large, light-colored six-story building attached to the left side of the sanctuary is the Methodist Church House, constructed in the 1920s to house offices, community spaces, and recreational facilities.

Much like its neighbor, St. John’s Episcopal Church, this building survived the massive 1936 widening of Woodward Avenue through a massive engineering feat. To make room for the wider road, the entire massive stone nave was shortened by 26 feet, and the iconic 180-foot steeple was completely dismantled and rebuilt 26 feet further back to preserve the streetscape. Today, Central United Methodist Church remains an active, socially progressive congregation and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Hazen S. Pingree Monument is located in the eastern half of Grand Circus Park. Hazen S. Pingree was a highly influential progressive reformer who served as the Mayor of Detroit (1890–1897) and later as the Governor of Michigan (1897–1901). He gained national fame during the severe Economic Depression of 1893 by converting Detroit’s vacant urban lots into community vegetable gardens to feed thousands of struggling, unemployed citizens. Dedicated in 1901 shortly after his death, the bronze monument by sculptor J. Massey Rhind depicts Pingree seated thoughtfully in a chair raised on a massive granite pedestal.

The William C. Maybury Monument, is situated in the western half of Grand Circus Park. William C. Maybury was a prominent attorney and politician who served as a U.S. Congressman and later as the Mayor of Detroit (1897–1904). Maybury took office immediately after Hazen S. Pingree. He was known for a more conservative, business-friendly approach, contrasting sharply with Pingree’s aggressive progressive reforms. Erected in 1912 following his death, the bronze monument by celebrated sculptor Albert Weinert depicts a seated Maybury mounted on a granite pedestal, complete with an artistic carved relief backdrop. The massive white structure visible directly behind the monument is the rear facade and stage fly tower of the historic Detroit Opera House (originally opened in 1922 as the Capitol Theatre).

This monument acts as a direct historical and physical counterweight to the Hazen S. Pingree Monument. While Mayor Pingree sits prominently in the eastern half of Grand Circus Park facing south, his successor Mayor Maybury sits exactly mirrored in the western half of the park, creating a physical timeline of turn-of-the-century Detroit politics across Woodward Avenue.

Grand Circus Park remains a vibrant, deeply historic green space anchor in downtown Detroit. If you visit this exact monument today, you will see it framed by the embedded tracks of the QLINE light rail system running along Woodward Avenue immediately to its west, alongside bustling outdoor cafe seating, renovated historic skyscrapers, and the nearby gates of Comerica Park.

Looking south down Woodward Avenue from the edge of Grand Circus Park is The David Whitney Building (Center): The prominent 19-story, light-colored high-rise standing at the focal point of the street is the historic David Whitney Building (completed in 1915). Its iconic rooftop signage reading “DAVID WHITNEY BUILDING” is visible at the very top. The soaring skyscraper frame on the absolute left edge belongs to the 34-story Broderick Tower (completed in 1928), featuring its distinctive neoclassical brickwork. The grand skyscraper lining the right side of the street is the 18-story Kales Building (completed in 1914), designed by Albert Kahn. A historic vertical retail sign reading “SIBLEY’S” (for Sibley’s Shoes) is visible on its lower facade.

A blue and white elevated transit car is visible crossing directly over Woodward Avenue in the mid-ground. This is part of the Detroit People Mover automated single-track rail loop, which has circled downtown since 1987.

If you stand at this exact spot today, the view features a major technological upgrade. The center of Woodward Avenue is now occupied by the flush tracks, specialized passenger platforms, and overhead electrical wires of the QLINE streetcar system, which launched in 2017. Additionally, both the David Whitney Building and the Broderick Tower—which were mostly vacant when this photo was taken—have been completely restored into luxury hotels, high-end apartments, and busy ground-floor restaurants.

The sprawling surface parking lot on Washington Boulevard just south of Grand Circus Park. The towering, ornate building visible on the left side of the frame is the historic Statler Hotel (later known as the Statler-Hilton). Opened in 1915, this 15-story Italian Renaissance Revival landmark hosted world-famous dignitaries and celebrities for decades before closing in 1975. Following years of abandonment, it was completely demolished in 2005.

A sprawling surface parking lot looking south toward Madison Avenue and Witherell Street in downtown Detroit, Michigan, framed by a legendary piece of public art. Standing prominently on the right side of the frame is the neoclassical 34-story David Broderick Tower (completed in 1928). Designed by architects Louis and Paul Kamper, it was mostly vacant during this early-2000s era before being beautifully restored into luxury residential apartments in 2012. The massive, vibrant blue painting spanning 20 stories on the back of the Broderick Tower is Robert Wyland’s iconic “Whale Tower” mural (Whaling Wall #76). Painted over six days in October 1997 by the Metro Detroit-born marine artist, it was donated as a gift to inspire urban environmental awareness and community revitalization. The massive surface parking lot dominating the foreground sits just off Madison Avenue. It has served for years as prime parking for Detroit Tigers fans heading to nearby games.

For decades, the Broderick Tower’s whale mural has been a beloved landmark, particularly for sports fans who spent years looking at it from their stadium seats. However, it has been at the center of constant legal and cultural clashes. Since 2006, building owners have periodically covered the artwork with giant commercial vinyl advertisements—such as ads for Verizon, Jeep, and Rocket Companies—sparking massive public outcry and legal interventions from the artist, the city council, and community groups seeking to “Free the Whales”.

If you visit this exact location today, the view has changed dramatically. The gravel parking spaces in the foreground have been heavily redeveloped to accommodate the surrounding sports, theater, and entertainment infrastructure of The District Detroit.

An outfield view looking toward left-center field at Comerica Park The massive structure on the left is the stadium’s original primary scoreboard complex, featuring the prominent script “TIGERS” lettering along the top. Below the title sits a giant sculpted tiger statue with glowing eyes that roar after home runs, flanked by vintage neon sponsorships for classic brands.

• Masonic Temple (Right Background): The large, ornate limestone castle-like building visible in the upper right background is the historic Detroit Masonic Temple (completed in 1926), renowned as the largest Masonic temple in the world.
• The Detroit Edison Willis Rate Station Smoke Stacks (Left Background): The two distinctive tall, thin white industrial chimneys rising behind the scoreboard belonged to the historic downtown steam generation facility.

If you stand in this exact seating section today, the skyline and scoreboard look completely different. Ahead of the 2024 MLB season, the Detroit Tigers installed a massive, state-of-the-art high-definition LED scoreboard that is nearly double the size of the original system shown here, completely modernizing the stadium’s visual footprint.

Returning back inside the stadium, this elevated view of the downtown Detroit skyline looking southwest from the upper-deck outfield seats of Comerica Park. The massive dark green structure running along the outfield wall is the stadium’s signature General Motors Fountain. Sponsored by GM, the fountain features water jets that erupt to celebrate Detroit home runs, strikeouts, and game victories. The sloping, fan-filled lower seating bowls on the right mark the stadium’s deep left-field area, leading toward the main concourse walkways. The tall flagpole flying the American flag rises prominently directly behind the outfield wall, mirroring the placement of the historic flagpole from the Tigers’ original home, Tiger Stadium.

The Skyline Backdrop & Key Skyscrapers

• The David Broderick Tower (Center): Dominating the visual core of the background is the neoclassical 34-story David Broderick Tower (completed in 1928), featuring Robert Wyland’s iconic, 20-story “Whale Tower” mural fully visible across its northern facade.
• The David Whitney Building (Right of Broderick): Standing directly to the right of the Broderick Tower is the 19-story David Whitney Building (completed in 1915), framing the edge of the Grand Circus Park district.
• The Penobscot Building (Far Left Background): Rising high in the distant left background is the distinctive red-lit crown of the historic 47-story Art Deco Penobscot Building (completed in 1928), a long-standing symbol of Detroit’s financial district.

When this photo was taken in the early 2000s, the space between the stadium and the skyscrapers was dominated by expansive surface parking lots and older low-rise commercial structures. Today, the gap has been completely transformed by the dense infrastructure of The District Detroit, featuring office complexes, transit structures, and the nearby presence of Little Caesars Arena, which opened in 2017.

An elevated view of the downtown Detroit skyline looking south from the upper concourse or parking infrastructure of Comerica Park. The open excavation pit and large crawler crane visible on the far left show the active construction phase of Ford Field, the indoor football stadium for the Detroit Lions, which officially opened its doors in August 2002.

• The Renaissance Center (Center Left): The towering cluster of dark glass skyscrapers dominating the center-left background is the GM Renaissance Center (RenCen), featuring its central 73-story hotel tower flanked by four 39-story office towers.
• One Detroit Center / Ally Detriot Center (Right Background): The massive postmodern skyscraper with the distinctive Neo-Gothic spired crown rising on the right side of the frame is One Detroit Center (completed in 1993).
• The Penobscot & Guardian Buildings: The dense collection of historic brick and stone towers framing the right edge of the skyline represents the heart of Detroit’s financial district.

This view has been significantly altered over the last two decades. The empty lots, one-story commercial garages, and surface parking spaces visible in the center of the image have been completely filled in with new hotel developments, residential spaces, and the sprawling mixed-use entertainment district known as The District Detroit.

The active structural construction phase of Ford Field, the indoor multi-purpose stadium for the Detroit Lions (NFL).

• The Hudson’s Warehouse (Right): The massive concrete and brick skeleton rising on the right side of the frame is the historic former J.L. Hudson Company warehouse (built in the 1920s). Rather than demolishing this entire warehouse footprint, architects uniquely integrated the structure directly into the stadium’s final design. Today, this section houses the stadium’s luxury suites, press box, food courts, and retail offices.
• The Steel Superstructure (Center): The enormous blue structural steel truss and column assembly visible in the center shows the early framework being erected to support the stadium’s massive 500,000-square-foot column-free cable-supported roof.
• The Seating Bowl (Left): The concrete raked seating stands visible in the background on the far left show the early formation of the stadium’s south lower and upper seating bowls.
• Construction Cranes: A massive lattice-boom crawler crane stands positioned in the center lot to hoist the heavy steel components, while a second tower crane operates further back in the distance.

Officially opened in August 2002 at a total construction cost of roughly $500 million, the completed 65,000-seat stadium features a unique south-facing brick wall and glass atrium that bathes the indoor playing field in natural light.