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ADVERTISEMENT
LOFTS FOR SALE
from $172,000
The restoration of the Grinnell Brothers
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Corktown offers a unique mix of a small town
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DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 32,34,38 CDB
8/9/2006
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Page 2
Living and Investing in the D: Investment and community
ArvinMeritor: Teaming up with school
■ From Page 32
years from a tax-incentive
package that included tax credits from the Michigan Economic
Growth Authority, brownfield-redevelopment tax credits and
Renaissance Zone tax breaks.
Both MEGA and the brownfield-redevelopment program
are awarded by the state and
lower a company’s annual single-business-tax bill as a reward
for generating jobs and building in an environmentally
blighted area. The Renaissance
Zone program provides breaks
on local taxes.
Rush said ArvinMeritor
wanted to be near a high school
because about half of the company’s charitable giving goes
to educational causes. Plus,
ArvinMeritor believes participating in local education efforts potentially helps to train
future employees and strengthens the communities where the
company operates.
“In order to enhance an area
Southwestern High
School received
$600,000 from
ArvinMeritor to help
build a new football
field and renovate
an auditorium. The
company also
works with several
ongoing school
programs.
you have to develop a sense of
community,” Rush said.
ArvinMeritor’s relationship
with
Southwestern
High
School began when the school
agreed to sell a piece of its
property to ArvinMeritor.
Problem was, that piece of
property included the track
and football field.
In addition to paying for the
land, ArvinMeritor kicked in
an additional $600,000 to help
pay for the construction of a
new football field, bleachers
and track on a little-used parking lot that the school already
owned. Some of the money also
went to renovate the school’s
auditorium.
But that, Hodge said, was just
the beginning of ArvinMeritor’s involvement in the high
school’s programs and activities. Two years ago, the company agreed to sponsor the high
school’s robotics club.
“(ArvinMeritor) provided
space, engineers, and mentors
and consultants to make sure
this was a success,” Hodge said.
The robotics club was an immediate hit. For two years in a
row, Southwestern teams have
advanced from regional competition to a national competition
in Atlanta.
According to its Web site,
the FIRST Robotics Competition
challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a
common problem in a six-week
time frame using a standard
kit of parts and a common set
of rules. Teams build robots
from the parts and enter them
in a series of competitions.
In addition to the robotics
club, Hodge said, ArvinMeritor employees are frequently
tapped as guest lecturers at the
high school.
ArvinMeritor is also a co-op
training partner with the high
school’s business training curriculum. Last year eight students completed the program.
On top of that, Hodge said,
the high school and ArvinMerSee ArvinMeritor, Page 38
Page 34
FALL 2006
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CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
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Photo credit: General Motors Corp. Used with permission, GM Media Archives.
DRIVEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
General Motors is proud to be a catalyst for downtown development. Whether it’s helping businesses or
communities grow, we are pleased to call Detroit our home.
CHEVROLET
BUICK
PONTIAC
GMC
S AT U R N
HUMMER
SAAB
CADILLAC
© 2006 GM Corp. All rights reserved. The marks of General Motors and its divisions are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation.
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DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 32,34,38 CDB
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Page 3
Living and Investing
ArvinMeritor:
Teaming up
■ From Page 34
itor are working this summer to put the final touches on a scholarship program that
would provide several scholarships per
year for students to Kettering University, the
former General Motors Institute, in Flint.
Tobocman, whose district includes the
Delray community, said ArvinMeritor’s basic presence as an employer has given the
Delray community a much-needed boost
and said the company’s involvement goes
beyond its partnership with the high school.
“It’s a beautiful facility. I describe it as
an anchor tenant for West Fort Street and
the Delray community, and the jobs are absolutely critical,” Tobocman said. “It’s our
plan that that investment be the starting
point of a much bigger revitalization of
West Fort Street and Delray.”
Tobocman says ArvinMeritor was the driving force behind the creation of the West
Fort Street Business Association in 2004. Then,
the association, ArvinMeritor and Tobocman joined to pressure the state to accelerate its plans to resurface West Fort Street.
At the time, the project wasn’t scheduled
to occur for two or three more years but was
viewed by the company and the community
as critical to economic development.
“Jerry (Rush) and the other West Fort
Street Association members were really instrumental in helping me to get M-DOT to
resurface West Fort Street,” Tobocman said.
Today, Rush said, the association has
about 15 members, and a membership drive is planned for September.
Despite the company’s community involvement, Rush stressed that ArvinMeritor’s first responsibility is to run a profitable business that satisfies its customers.
Inside the plant, ArvinMeritor assembles the portion of a car’s suspension that
includes the axle, cradle, control arm and
stabilizer bar for DaimlerChrysler AG.
When the order comes in, ArvinMeritor
has 126 minutes to assemble the part and
get it to the Jefferson North Assembly
plant in Detroit.
Without “a successful business model,
nothing happens here,” Rush said.
That said, ArvinMeritor believes that
participating in the community eventually
helps the company in terms of community
support and potential future employees.
“It’s something that doesn’t happen
overnight,” Rush said. “But we are seeing a
transformation in the community, and we
are seeing progress.”
Brent
Snavely:
(313)
446-0405,
[email protected]
Page 38
FALL 2006
FALL 2006
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
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There’s no place else we’d rather live.
That’s why we’re proud to invest in Detroit.
Detroit is a fantastic place to live and work. That’s why National City Community Development Corporation in
conjunction with National City Mortgage provides the resources to help build a stronger workforce, a thriving
community and a more vibrant region. Momentum is building in southeast Michigan. We’re proud to be part of it.
Personal Banking • Business Banking • Investments • Mor tgage Loans
NationalCity.com
Member FDIC • ©2006, National City Corporation ®
DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 40,42,43 CDB
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Living and Investing in the D: Lafayette Park at 50
A modernist jewel
races, ages and income levels.
“We have an unusual success
story,” says Carol Weisfeld, a 29year resident of the neighborhood
and president of the Riverfront East
Alliance, an urban advocacy group.
“We were designed to be a
diverse community,
and
we’ve succeeded for decades
as a diverse
community.”
Residents are
often seen riding
bikes Weisfeld
through tree-lined streets, over the
hills of historic Elmwood Cemetery
and along sidewalks in the parks,
passing tall concrete and glass
high-rise apartments and low-rises.
The first structures were designed by world-renowned Ger-
FALL 2006
FALL 2006
See Park, Page 42
etam
Anti
F
Lafayette Park
ans
Orle
Page 40
ifty activities are planned
for Sept 16-Oct. 16 as residents of Lafayette Park celebrate the 50th anniversary of the
groundbreaking of Detroit’s first
major urban-renewal project.
Architects and planners transformed the 19th century-built Black
Bottom neighborhood, named by
early Detroit settlers for its rich
soil, into a mix of high- and low-rise
residential units appealing to all
man-born architect Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe, giving the neighborhood its distinct character and
helping it achieve standing as a National Register Historic District.
The vision was built following
turmoil and upheaval in Black
Bottom, the oldest and poorest section of Detroit, historian Thomas
Sugrue says in his book Origins of
the Urban Crisis.
“The most densely populated
section of the city in the 1940s, it
was the target of ‘slum clearance,’ ”
Sugrue writes about clearance of
the land for urban renewal under
Mayor Edward Jeffries. “The centerpiece of Detroit’s postwar master plan was the clearance of
“blighted areas’ in the inner city
for construction of middle-class
housing that it was believed would
revitalize the urban economy.”
However, he notes, “Plans to relocate blacks displaced by the projects utterly failed.” In time,
Lafayette Park would become noted for racial and economic balance.
As part of the clearance, the city
had demolished 110,000 units, largely built in the 19th century, leaving
more than 100 barren acres between the river and Gratiot empty.
In 1956, UAW leader Walter
Reuther and a team of managers
from other unions recruited van
der Rohe to build a modern urban
community that would compete favorably with new tract housing in
Oak Park, Southfield and Allen
Park. A multicultural jewel built of
steel and glass emerged. Pioneers
embraced a notion of living with
people of differing incomes, races
and classes. Somehow it stuck.
“This is one of the most economically and racially diverse neighborhoods you’ll find anywhere,”
said 35-year resident Harriet
Saperstein, president of HP Devco
in Highland Park, noting the
Parkview Tower at 1601 Robert
Bradby Drive offers state-subsidized low-income dwellings.
At the other end of the income
scale, developer Joel Landy found
26 buyers within a year of carving
out 32 loft condominiums in the
old Leland School at 13395 Antietam. They averaged $250,000 to
rd
JOHN SOBCZAK
Floor to ceiling windows,
the famed “glass
curtains” that were
architect Ludwig Mies
van der Rohe’s hallmark,
are apparent in the
townhouses at Lafayette
Park.
BY MAUREEN MCDONALD
SPECIAL TO CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
Riva
Planned
neighborhood
takes a look
at its history
te
yet
afa
E. L
Number of units: About
1,800.
Architectural styles/sizes:
The 129-acre neighborhood
is known for its
internationally acclaimed,
Ludwig Mies van der Rohedesigned high-rise
apartments and low-rise
townhouses. It also hosts a
mix of new loft construction
and modern condominiums.
Unique to the area is a
dominance of co-op units.
New owners are voted in by
existing residents after
paying an equity fee to the
association and a monthly
maintenance fee that
averages $640. Lafayette
Park is also noted for its lush
greenery and below-ground
parking.
Price range: Prices from
$60,000 to $300,000, not
including some governmentsubsidized senior and lowincome housing.
Organizations: The mostactive citizen group is made
up of the 275 dues-paying
members of the Riverfront
East Alliance, which
campaigned successfully to
retain the Lafayette Park
shopping mall and helped
thwart plans to put casinos
nearby at the Detroit River
and Joseph Campau. At least
100 residents created
Lafayette 50 to celebrate the
50th anniversary.
Events: The 50th anniversary
of the Lafayette Park
groundbreaking occurs Oct.
16 with a film fest, design
symposium and civic
dialogue. Other activities are
planned. Call Joanne Givens
at (313) 510-0350 or visit
www.neighborhoodlink.com/
detroit/lp50.
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
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ADVERTISEMENT
jonna
Detroit
Lofts
• 1 & 2 bedroom lofts
• Secure parking and access
• Expansive 12-foot ceilings and
oversize windows
• Dark maple kitchens with
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• Flexible living space
• Washer and dryer hookups in
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DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 42,43 CDB
8/10/2006
4:32 PM
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Living and Investing in the D: Lafayette Park at 50
Park: Residents become best r
Neil McEachern
Lafayette Park
A green oasis on the edge of downtown is how Neil
McEachern describes Lafayette Park.
He says he has seen Detroit’s progress
for the past 15 years through the wall-towall, floor-to-ceiling glass windows in the
front and back of his townhouse.
Some would shy away from people having
a constant view of the inside of their
home, but McEachern said the ease of
living downtown overshadows the
drawbacks. Curtains and blinds also help.
“Yes I’m comfortable with it,”
McEachern, 60, said. “And, of course,
you have to weigh the odds before you dash down the
stairs in your underwear.”
The two-story, 1,300-square-foot townhouse with
basement was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
McEachern bought the house from Charles H. Wright,
the Detroit physician who founded the Charles H.
Wright Museum of African American History.
McEachern, born in Buffalo, N.Y., went to high school
in Detroit and was an elementary school principal in
the Detroit Public Schools. He is now retired.
When McEachern sees people from this neighborhood
walk to city amenities such as the Boll Family YMCA and
Eastern Market, he is proud they are supporting Detroit.
— Bowdeya Tweh
■ From Page 40
$350,000. Some units kept the blackboards or bookshelves intact.
Landy said that selling units has
been a breeze, owing to an active
neighborhood that recruits friends
and family members to move in. The
proximity to new restaurants, bars
and sports stadiums is balanced by
trees and mature landscaping.
The problem of finding retail for
the neighborhood persists. Weisfeld,
a psychology professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, devotes much of her
spare time to hunting for a grocery
store to occupy Lafayette Mall.
“We’ve been turned down by Trader
Joe’s, Wild Oats, Whole Foods and Westborn Market because we don’t have
enough college graduates in our neighborhood. We have higher density and
greater loyalty than retailers give us
credit for maintaining, and we are
very loyal to our merchants,” Weisfeld
said. She helped lead the Riverfront
East Alliance’s effort to save the mall
from demolition by former owner Habi-
tat Co. of Chicago, which sought to
make the space into a giant condominium complex.
Instead, Southfield-based First Commercial Realty & Development bought
the 60,000 square foot mall from Habitat, spending $3 million to tear down
decrepit structures and refurbish the
historic glass and aluminum facades.
Both residents and the Historic Commission of Detroit approved the project
before it began.
Among mall tenants, Sala Thai owner Eddie Pradithazanij came back because residents fought valiantly to
keep the Thai restaurant open. In contrast, the supermarket spot has remained empty for more than 16
months since renovation.
“We are confident that someone upscale will be impressed with our floor
plans and offer quality meat, poultry
and vegetables,” says Dennis Evans,
general manager of commercial real
estate for First Commercial and a 32year resident of the neighborhood.
LUXURY CONDOMINIUMS FROM THE $200S
JAZZ UP YOUR LIFESTYLE. Living at the St. Regis Condominiums means that you are in the epicenter of
vibrant, urban energy. Fine dining, the arts and entertainment are just steps away. Experience the unparalleled
amenities which include valet parking, private T.V./theater room, fitness studio, dry cleaning service, covered parking, housekeeping service and more. Sign a contract by August 31st and receive one year free maintenance and
your choice of a flat panel TV, $1,000 towards closing costs, or $1,000 gift certificate to Best Buy.
A VIP list is forming now, so please visit
www.stregiscondos.com
or call 313.874.4222
We are located at 3071 W Grand Blvd Suite 100 Detroit MI, 48202
The features, amenities, prices and specifications described above are proposed only, and the Developer reserves the right to modify, revise, or withdraw any or all of the same in its sole
discretion without prior notice. Nothing herein shall constitute an offer to sell, or solicitation of offers to buy, in states in which such offers or solicitations cannot be made.
Page 42
FALL 2006
FALL 2006
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 42,43 CDB
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Page 2
Living and Investing in the D: Lafayette Park at 50
st recruiters for development
Meanwhile residents themselves continue the recruitment campaign to fill
housing units. The late Douglas McIntosh, an architect with McIntosh Poris Associates in Birmingham, designed a series of townhomes for the Habitat Co.
now awaiting construction. Al Morrison, a Detroit developer, has purchased
a 10-acre leveled parcel, formerly the
Rochdale Court Apartments, and plans to
build market-rate condominiums.
The melange of old and new units in
an attractive cluster still appeals to
Kevin Johnson, 48, a filmmaker who
grew up in the neighborhood and returned as an adult.
Johnson, owner of Joliet Films and a
freelance broadcast producer, is working with the Lafayette 50 committee to
produce a documentary tracing the
culture of Black Bottom and the creativity of the architectural team along
with early and present neighbors.
Johnson’s research has found that
past residents included Diana Ross and
Stevie Wonder of Motown and Detroit
Tigers pitcher Earl Wilson. Residents
of one building, the Parc Lafayette,
have included two of the original Four
Tops and the first black teller from the
National Bank of Detroit.
In the future, more young people may
be attracted to Lafayette Park because
of recreational amenities. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan’s
Greenways Initiative and the Michigan
Department of Transportation have invested $3.4 million to build a bike and walking path between the Detroit River and
Eastern Market, paving a long-dormant
rail bed called the Dequindre Cut.
“You had a real sense of community;
the parents collectively watched over
us,” Johnson recalls. He went away to
college, moved to Nashville for a couple
of years, found a home on the northwest
side of Detroit and bought his mother’s
townhouse in 1990 with his wife, Joanne.
“Most of the kids that grew up here
turned out well. We are freethinkers,
part of the political intelligentsia and
academia. We contribute to society.”
NOW LEASING
ATTENTION LOCAL MERCHANTS
WHO BELIEVE IN DETROIT
Downtown Detroit represents growth opportunities for great local merchants
who understand that a location in the heart of the Campus Martius district
presents limitless possibilities for success.
DON KUREK
Kevin Johnson grew up in Lafayette Park and returned as an
adult. On the left are Mies van der Rohe-designed
townhouses; the 1300 Lafayette co-op is in the background.
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AVAI MITED
LABI
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Perfect location for many new downtown services such as a food market, or dry cleaners.
Ideal site for a restaurant or pub.
Retail spaces ranging in size from 2,400 square feet at street level,
to a 20,000 square feet multi-level location, are available now.
All merchants will have access to private parking in the Lofts of Merchants Row’s state-of-the-art parking garage.
Located on the west side
of Woodward, between
Grand River & State
Street, half block north of
Compuware Headquarters.
www.loftsofmerchantsrow.com | Email: [email protected]
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
“We have strong positive
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Our firm belief in the city's
Forest Hudson, retired
UAW representative
and activist along
with Cheryl Hudson,
longtime Detroit
businesswoman and
community leader
future growth, and its need
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FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
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Office: 248.357.6242 | Cell: 616.638.1390
Email: [email protected]
FALL 2006
K ERN W OODWARD A SSOCIATES , LLC
Page 43
DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 44 CDB
8/10/2006
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Living and Investing in the D: Neighborhoods
The
grand
city tour
o who lives in
Detroit’s stronger
neighborhoods?
S
Most of the people we
spoke with have the
means to live in more
affluent, less-troubled
cities, but they’ve
chosen Detroit.
land
Oak
Page 44
d
They appreciate
the diversity in
their
communities
and embrace the
different
cultures
represented
there. Whether they
grew up in Detroit or
have moved here from
other parts of the
country, these
residents have
cultivated a deep love
for the city and hold
fast to their hope for its
renaissance.
— JoAnn Amicangelo
ar
odw
Wo
They are people
captivated by the city’s
architecturally
significant housing
stock and see
themselves as
caretakers of
residential gems from
a bygone era. They
value the sense of
community that
permeates their urban
neighborhoods
— something
they say doesn’t
exist to the
same degree in
the suburbs.
square feet
Price range: $100,000-$525,000
Boundaries: North of Arden
Neighborhood amenities: The
Park Boulevard, south of East neighborhood association enjoys
Boston Boulevard, east of Wood- a good working relationship with
ward Avenue, west of Oakland Blessed Sacrament Cathedral
Avenue.
where neighborhood meetings
History: Realtor Max Broock and some functions are held. Resnamed this historic neighbor- urrected two years ago after
hood Arden Park in 1890 when he more than a decade of inactivity,
developed the sixthe association also
block area. As Desponsors
social
troit’s commercial
events such as famiand industrial secly picnics, ice cream
tors grew, a large
socials and a fall
group of nouveau
harvest party on the
riche industrialgreen spaces in the
ists,
merchants
district.
They’ve
and professionals
been able to make
built single-family
repairs to common
homes here. Noted
Arden Park-East Boston areas and are workDetroit architects
ing on bringing
of the day, includback a program for
ton
ing Smith, HinchBos
snow removal and
k
man & Grylls and
Par
security patrol. The
n
e
George D. Mason,
Ard
association is curdesigned fabulous
rently working to
homes for the
ensure 100 percent
neighborhood’s
occupancy
and
first residents, inmaintenance
of
cluding
Broock,
property in accorFrederick Fisher,
dance with historic
John Dodge and
standards to mainJ.L. Hudson. Deed restrictions tain the fellowship and camaduring the original plotting re- raderie among neighbors who
quired the homes to be 2½ sto- own and love historic homes.
ries and made of brick or stone.
Home tour: In June.
Association fee: $60/year
Web site: www.neighborhoodlink.com/detroit/apeb
Home owner’s story: LaDonna
Walker-Little
As a child, LaDonna WalkerLittle always wanted to live in a
historic home, and in particular, one in the Arden Park-East
Boston district. As an adult, she
moved to a home in the BostonEdison district and was determined to be content with it.
“But then six years ago, the
house I now own became availPHOTOS BY DON KUREK able, and the rest is history,”
Ernest Little and LaDonna Walker-Little
said Walker-Little, sales agent
chose to stay in Detroit and help stabilize for Real Estate One and presitheir Arden Park neighborhood.
dent of the neighborhood assoToday: A diverse cultural and ciation.
racial mix of residents ranging
Once owned by Max Broock,
from young families to senior- the house is a brick and stone,
aged. Most are professionals.
2½-story Tudor-style beauty with
Historic designations: National
gothic details on the inside. Her
property includes a three-car
Number of homes: 92
Architectural styles/sizes: Shin- garage and a carriage house.
gle style, Italian Renaissance, Quarter-sawn oak paneling covFrench Renaissance, Colonial ers the walls in the foyer and livRevival,
Tudor-Elizabethan, ing room, giving the space the “libungalow, Prairie; 2,500 to 11,000 brary look” Walker-Little was
Arden Park-East Boston
FALL 2006
FALL 2006
WHO BUYS
HISTORIC HOMES?
Historic neighborhood specialist
Doris Thiele, a Realtor with
Coldwell Banker Schweitzer in
Grosse Pointe Farms, said there
are two types of historic-home
buyers.
“The professionals buy in wellestablished historical
neighborhoods and choose a
home that has already had much
of the restoration work done.
Since they don’t necessarily
have the expertise to do the
restoration work themselves,
they are willing to pay to have it
done,” said Thiele, who has
been selling real
estate for 20 years.
Thiele refers to the
second type of
buyer as the
“pioneers.” They
are willing to buy in
less-established
yet promising
neighborhoods,
have a vision to
restore the home to
its original authenticity and do
much of the restoration work
themselves.
“They want to be the one to tell
the rest of the metro Detroit area
how important this particular
neighborhood and house is in its
history. They get so involved in
ordering accurate plaster
moldings. They want to be as
authentic as possible,” she said.
— JoAnn Amicangelo
looking for.
Though Walker-Little had to
do a considerable amount of
work to restore the home to its
original glamour — replacing the
heating system, rebuilding the
large wraparound porch and cutting down about 30 trees — she is
glad she’s had the opportunity to
live in her dream home.
“I love Detroit, and I figure
that if everybody who can afford
to move out does move out, we
will have lost a real gem. So
we’ve chosen to stay and try to
help stabilize. And I think that’s
true of everyone in our neighborhood. They could live practically
anywhere else, but they definitely decided to remain or become a
Detroiter,” Walker-Little said.
— JoAnn Amicangelo
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
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The University Cultural Center Association (UCCA) is a
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attractive place to be.
University Cultural Center Association
4735 Cass Avenue • Detroit, MI 48202
313-577-5088 • www.detroitmidtown.com
Odd Fellows Bldg
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please contact Larry Ladomer of
L.W. Ladomer & Co. at 734-552-2500
or [email protected]
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BUSINESS BUILDING COMMUNITY. COMMUNITY BUILDING BUSINESS.
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DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 47 CDB
8/10/2006
5:14 PM
Page 1
Living and Investing in the D: Neighborhoods
the block from her parents
because she’d always loved
Boundaries: North of Edison, south of
the neighborhood.
Boston, east of Linwood, west of Woodward
“I always loved historic
History: Said to be the largest residential
homes after growing up in
historic district in the country, Boston Edithis house and I always
son was home to prominent Detroiters
loved this house. My parents
such as Henry Ford, Stanley S. Kresge, B.
and I had talked about (my
Siegel, James Couzens, Walter Briggs, Hopurchasing it) for a couple of
race Rackham, Ira Grinnell, Clarence Buryears while they snow-birdton and four of the seven Fisher brothers.
ed between here and South
They built mansions here between 1903 and
Carolina. So when they de1940 “when Detroit was a hot,
cided to make
young city with people to
the move perwatch for,” according to
manent,
I
www.detroitrising.com.
bought
it,”
Today: In more recent years,
said Scott.
an integrated group of profesScott’s
sionals have begun purchashome is deing the homes and lovingly
scribed
as
caring for them.
American Eclectic style with
Historic designations: NaMediterranean influences retional, state, local
flected in its stucco exterior,
Boston Edison
Number of homes: 930
brick detailing, wrought iron
Architectural styles/sizes:
balcony over an arched covAmerican Eclectic with Italered entrance and a trio of
ianate, Mediterranean and
ton
s
arched windows in the suno
B
Four Square influences; Italson
room.
Inside,
scrolled
10
Edi
ian Renaissance; Venetian
wrought iron and arched enRenaissance; Tudor; Geortryways add to the home’s
gian Colonial. Home sizes
Mediterranean feel.
range from 2,000 to more than
Since moving in, Scott has
12,000 square feet.
made a number of changes to
Price
range:
$100,000the home’s interior. In the liv$600,000 (most sell between
ing room, she added a mantle
$150,000-$325,000)
and new tile work to the original limestone
Neighborhood amenities: The Historic
fireplace and created tiled window benches
along the front wall of the room. She also
Boston-Edison Association, which claims
to be “the oldest, continually operating organization of its kind in Michigan,” sponsors an annual holiday home tour, Easter
egg hunt, Halloween party, family fun day
and Art in the Park. Boston Edison Development Inc. is an organization of neighbors
investing in the neighborhood by buying
and restoring abandoned homes.
Home tour: Dec. 17. Call (313) 883-4360.
Association fee: $40/year
Web site: www.neighborhoodlink.com/
detroit/hbe
Home owner’s story: Carla Scott
Carla Scott, 41, interim medical director,
Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility,
lives in the house she grew up in with her
eight brothers and sisters in the historic
Boston-Edison district. She purchased the
5,500-square-foot, two-story, four-bedroom
home from her parents in 2001 when they
decided to move south. They had lived
there for 38 years. The home was originally
built in 1914 by Andrew and Elsa Wineman,
department-store owners.
Scott, who was elected to the Detroit
Board of Education for District 1 last year,
had returned to the Detroit area in 1998 after completing a residency program in internal medicine and pediatrics in Houston,
Texas. She said she rented a home around
Boston Edison
d
ar
odw
Wo
ood
Linw
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
FALL 2006
PHOTOS BY JOHN SOBCZAK
Carla Scott bought her Boston-Edison home
from her parents after they moved south.
restored an opening between the living
room and sunroom that had been sealed off
and remodeled the basement.
In the two-story foyer with ceramic tile
floor, Scott painted the walls a deep red, reflecting the splashes of color Scott added to
her mother’s once all-white walls.
Today, Scott enjoys living in the home of
her childhood with her one-year-old son,
Arline Lile, whom she adopted from
Ethiopia last year. She is engaged to be
married to Ahamed Lile, a juvenile corrections officer, and plans to stay in the home
until she retires.
— JoAnn Amicangelo
Page 47
DETROIT BUSINESS MAIN 08-21-06 B 48 CDB
8/10/2006
4:59 PM
Page 1
Living and Investing in the D: Neighborhoods
ment for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Detroit.
“We had a beautiful Victorian-era home in
Boundaries: South of I-94, north and west Mt. Clemens that had been the mayor’s resof I-75, east of the Lodge Freeway.
idence. The only reason I agreed is because
History: What is now called Midtown, every time he’s ever had a vision for someBrush Park especially, was once home to thing, it’s always worked out.”
some of Detroit’s prominent citizens. On
Darryl Hicks, 50, manager of agency relalarge and expensive lots retions for Gleaners Community
quiring buyers to build
Food Bank in Detroit, had held
“elaborate homes within a
onto a vision to live in one of the
specified time limit,” peocity’s historic neighborhoods
ple like J.L. Hudson, David
since he was a teenager growWhitney,
Michigan
ing up in northwest Detroit.
Supreme Court Justice
He did buy a home in Brush
James Campbell and Delos
Park in 1985 for $1,000 with
Rice, founder of the Fulton
the intention of restoring it,
Iron Works, built two- and
but a number of delays in
three-story, mostly Victoridealing with the city on tax
an-style brick and stone
abatements and contractors
mansions in the 1870s. By
stalled his efforts.
the early 1900s, new multi“And after buying this
family housing was built
Midtown/Brush Park
home with Helen, there weren’t
and existing homes were
enough resources to do both,”
converted to apartment
said Darryl Hicks.
buildings or rooming
94 75
Knowing they’d need all the
houses to accommodate
money they could gather to renthe flood of immigrants ar10
ovate the house, the couple sold
riving as industry grew.
375
their home in Mt. Clemens and
Today: Though much of
moved in with Darryl’s sister
Brush Park’s historic
thinking it would take four to
housing stock was lost to
five months to make a couple of
the neighborhood’s near
the rooms livable. Three
demise over the years, urmonths later, it was clear their
ban pioneers have begun
to renovate the few homes that remain. At original timetable had been ambitious.
the same time, the restoration of aban- Contractors discovered joists unhinged
doned buildings and loft and condo develop- from outer walls, leaky plumbing everyment in the area is bringing new life to the where and an electrical system too antiquated to simply repair.
neighborhood.
So they purHistoric designations: Local
chased another
Number of housing units: About 4,000
Architectural styles/sizes: Ranges from loft historic home
renovations and rental apartments to new in Mt. Clemens
they
condos and the Victorian homes of Brush where
would live for
Park; up to 7,600 square feet
the next four
Price range: $100,000-$400,000
Neighborhood amenities: Midtown offers years while coninwalkable access to the Cultural Center, De- tractors
troit Medical Center and Wayne State Uni- stalled a new
versity. Comerica Park, Ford Field and the roof and two
furnaces, fixed
Fox Theatre are nearby.
the plumbing
Home tour: No
problems, ran
Association fee: None
new electrical
Web site: www.detroitmidtown.com
Home owners’ story: Helen and Darryl wiring, covered
original plaster
Hicks
Helen Hicks, 49, thought her new hus- with drywall,
the
band, Darryl Hicks, 50, was crazy when he replaced
said he wanted to buy a 5,000-square-foot, massive secondthree-story Victorian in Brush Park in 2001 and third-floor
for $131,000. The roof and floor in the windows and
kitchen of the home built in 1893 were renovated the
nonexistent, some of the architectural de- kitchen. In 2005,
gave
tails had been removed and sold by the pre- Helen
vious owner and drug dealers and prosti- birth to their
second son.
tutes were renting rooms in it.
Though the
“I thought he was out of his mind,” said
Helen Hicks, vice president of fund develop- restoration was
Midtown/Brush Park
Page 48
FALL 2006
FALL 2006
DEFINING HISTORIC DISTRICTS
A historic district is a group of buildings
that have been placed on the National
Register of Historic Places, the State of
Michigan Historic Register, or has been
designated, by ordinance, as a Local
Historic District by the Detroit Historic
District Commission. Historic designations
help stabilize and improve property values,
foster civic beauty, preserve the city’s
heritage and strengthen the local economy.
■ A National
Register
Designation
provides
national
recognition of
the property with
essentially no
control as to the
disposition of
the property including demolition, unless
federal funding, licensing or assistance is
involved. The property may qualify for
federal tax credits.
■ State Historic Designation provides
formal recognition of the historical
significance of a building, object or site
without imposing restrictions on use or
disposition. A marker may be placed at the
site explaining its significance.
■ Local Historic Designation is a process
initiated locally. This designation requires
that all construction, alteration, repair,
moving or demolition of structures within
the district be approved by the Historic
District Commission. The property may
qualify for state tax credits.
Source: University Cultural Center Association Web
site, www.detroitmidtown.com.
far from complete, the
Hicks moved into their
home last fall with his
and her children from a
previous marriage and
their two young sons.
Today, they live in the
midst of a myriad of
restoration projects in
the home, yet remain optimistic that Darryl’s vision for the home — and
the neighborhood’s rebirth — will become a
reality.
— JoAnn Amicangelo
PHOTOS BY JOHN F. MARTIN
Helen Hicks thought her
husband, Darryl, was out
of his mind when he said
he wanted to buy their
Victorian in Brush Park in
2001. But she trusted his
vision. After several years
of renovations, they
moved into the home
last fall.
CRAIN’S DETROIT BUSINESS
SuperBowl2.qxd
8/7/2006
6:27 PM
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View more information about these developments and neighborhoods at
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