Broadway Avenue Historic District (Detroit, Michigan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Broadway Avenue Historic District
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East side of Broadway
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| Location | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Built | 1896 |
| Architect | Joseph E. Mills, et al. |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial Beaux-Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000656 |
| Added to NRHP | July 1, 2004 |
The Broadway Avenue Historic District is a special area in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It's made up of a single city block filled with old buildings along Broadway Avenue, between Gratiot and East Grand River. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of its important history and unique buildings. It's close to the Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District, which has some very old commercial buildings from the 1840s.
What Makes This District Special?
The Broadway Avenue Historic District has eleven commercial buildings. These buildings were constructed between 1896 and 1926. Three of them are especially famous: the Cary Building, the Breitmeyer-Tobin Building, and the Merchants Building. These three buildings are so important that they are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places by themselves.
The buildings in the district often use a special type of clay called terra cotta for decoration. This material helps make all the buildings look like they belong together. The district is important for many reasons. It shows interesting architecture, has a rich history of businesses, and tells stories about different cultures that settled there. It's also linked to Philip Breitmeyer, who was the mayor of Detroit from 1909 to 1911.
A Look Back at History
The area around the Broadway Avenue Historic District started to grow in the late 1800s. It became a popular place for businesses that served women. You could find hairdressers, flower shops, corset makers, and fashionable clothing stores here. Many of these shops were owned by people who had moved to Detroit from other countries.
In the 1910s, the area began to change. It slowly became a center for banks and financial companies. A building at 1244 Randolph Street, which is in the nearby Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District, is very old. It's one of the few buildings left from the 1840s.
A building on Broadway Avenue, now called Harmonie Centre (originally the Breitmeyer-Tobin Building), became important for the African-American community. It started renting to African-American tenants in 1936. By the 1950s, more shops owned by different ethnic groups and immigrants moved into the area. Some of these businesses are still there today.
This part of downtown Detroit is sometimes called the Harmonie Park District. It's known for its connection to Detroit's music history, especially from the 1930s to the 1950s, and even into the present day.
See also
In Spanish: Distrito Histórico de Broadway Avenue para niños
