Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district

Detroit's Historic Merchant's Row along Woodward Avenue
Location	Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Architect	Albert Kahn, Gordon W. Lloyd, et al.
Architectural style	Early Commercial, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No.	99000051
Added to NRHP	February 12, 1999

The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District, also known as Merchant's Row, is a special area in downtown Detroit, Michigan. It's a mix of shops, offices, and homes. You can find it along Woodward Avenue, between Campus Martius Park and Grand Circus Park Historic District. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 because of its important history.

A Look Back at Merchant's Row
- New Shops and Exciting Changes
- The Historic Elliott Building
How the Buildings Were Built
Gallery
See also

A Look Back at Merchant's Row

The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District has 34 commercial buildings. Most of them were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many famous architects designed these buildings. By the 1920s, this part of Detroit was one of the busiest shopping areas in the whole country. In 1925, the corner of State and Woodward was the most walked-on street corner in the U.S.!

Many well-known Detroit businesses started here or had their main stores nearby. These include Vernors (a famous ginger ale), Sanders Confectionery (sweets), Winkelman's, S.S. Kresge Co., and F. W. Woolworth Company. Even Hudson's, a huge department store, was once here.

New Shops and Exciting Changes

Today, new stores are opening in the district. In 2011, a fancy mall called Somerset Collection tried something new. They opened small, temporary "pop-up" shops on Merchant's Row. These shops were part of 'Downtown Detroit Days' and were open for a few days each month during the summer.

An outdoor clothing store called Moosejaw also opened a Detroit location here. The Elliott Building at 1403 Woodward Ave. started being updated in 2016. It opened for people to live in by December 2017.

Big companies like Under Armour, Nike, Warby Parker, and Lululemon Athletica now have stores on lower Woodward Avenue. Shinola is even building a new hotel at 1400 Woodward. A new skyscraper is also being built where the old Hudson's department store used to be. It should be finished by 2022.

The Historic Elliott Building

The Elliott Building is an important part of the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District. It is considered a "contributing building," meaning it helps make the historic district special.

Building History

The Elliott Building was built in 1894. It cost about $80,000. The building has six stories and is made of red brick and red terra cotta. It stands where Detroit's first Mayor, General John R. Williams, once lived. John R. Street was named after him.

The building was first home to The William H. Elliott Dry Goods Store. This store sold carpets, curtains, and children's clothes until 1909. Later, in 1910, the store joined with another company. They moved to a new building in 1911.

Kresge's and Later Tenants

From the late 1910s, S. S. Kresge Corporation had a store in the Elliott Building. This Kresge store sold items from 25 cents to $1. It had more expensive goods than another Kresge store nearby. In 1939, it became a "5 cent to $1" store. In 1951, they even added a "root beer department"!

The Kresge store in the Elliott Building closed on December 31, 1959. This happened because they could not agree on a new lease. Later, parts of the building were used for a gym in the 1960s. In the 1970s, a shoe store and a women's clothing store were there. The last business was Eastern Wigs and Beauty Supply, which left in 1997.

Modern Updates

Today, the Elliott Building is owned by Elliott Building, LLC. It started being updated in July 2016. The building now has 23 apartments with one or two bedrooms. Some apartments have balconies. The top floor apartments have two levels. The first floor and basement also have about 16,000 square feet of space for shops.

How the Buildings Were Built

Most buildings in this district have a steel frame. Their front parts have many windows. They are often finished with brownstone, white brick, white Terra Cotta, or red brick. All the buildings stand close together, filling their land. They are built right up to the sidewalk. Most were first designed to have shops on the first floor and offices on the floors above.