From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Arden Park-East Boston Historic District is a neighborhood in the city of Detroit bounded on the west by Woodward Avenue, on the north by Boston Boulevard, on the east by Oakland Avenue, and on the south by Arden Park Boulevard. [2] There are 92 homes in the district, all on East Boston and Arden Park Boulevards.[3] Arden Park Boulevard and E. Boston Boulevard feature prominent grassy medians with richly planted trees and flowers. The set-backs of the homes are deep, with oversized lots.
[edit] History
The neighborhood was originally platted in 1892 by Joseph R. McLaughlin and Edmund J. Owen along two streets east of Woodward: East Boston and East Chicago.[4] and given the name "McLaughlin and Owen's Subdivision."[3][5] The lots were spacious to attract the city's wealthier residents.[6] The subdivision was sold twice before being purchased by Max Broock, a prominent real estate developer, in 1910.[3] He changed the name of "East Chicago" to "Arden Park," giving the neighborhood its present name.[2]
A typical house in the Arden Park-East Boston neighborhood.
[edit] Homes and Early Residents
Although the neighborhood was first platted in 1892, most of the homes built in the neighborhood date to the first two decades of the twentieth century.[4] This time period coincided with an econimic boom in Detroit, and many newly-minted millionaires hired architects to design prestigious homes in the neighborhood.[4] Architectural styles represented in Arden Park-East Boston include Italian Renaissance, Colonial Revival, Tudor, Bungalow style and Prairie Style.
Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Some of the neighborhood's first residents included Frederick Fisher, John Dodge, and J.L. Hudson[2], as well as Alexander Y. Malcomson,[7] Clayton and Albert Grinnell and Stanley Kresge, Jr.[3] The home of Frederick Fisher, on Arden Park Boulevard, was built in 1918 in the Italian Villa style to the plan of architect George D. Mason. The residence--which comprises nearly 12,000 square feet--is built entirely of Indiana limestone and features elaborate stone-carvings and ironwork.
The neighborhood's most prominent landmark is the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Next door to the cathedral is the personal residence of Detroit's Roman Catholic cardinal archbishop.
A typical house in the Arden Park-East Boston neighborhood.
[edit] Later Residents
In the 1940s, prominent black professionals began to move into the neighborhood. These included Dr. Dewitt Burton, founder of the Burton Mercy Hospital; Charles Diggs, Sr. (father of Charles Diggs, Jr.), first black elected to the Michigan State Senate, and Dr. Haley Bell, dentist, and the first black to receive a FCC license to operate a radio station (WCHB).[2] Prophet Jones, a prominent Detroit religious leader of the 1950s, resided in a mansion on Arden Park and often addressed his congregation from the front steps of the residence.[8]
Today the neighborhood is comprised largely of urban professionals, many of whom work in downtown Detroit. The neighborhood has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the State of Michigan Register of Historic Sites, and is a City of Detroit Designated Historic District.[4]
[edit] References
United States
