Brush Park, Detroit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brush Park is a 24 block neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan.[1] It is bounded by Mack on the north, Woodward Avenue on the west, Beaubien on the east, and the Fisher freeway on the south. This neighborhood is within the larger area known as Midtown.
[edit] History
Beginning in the 1850s, entrepreneur Edmund Brush began developing his family's property, located conveniently close to downtown, into a neighborhood for Detroit's elite citizens.[2] Homes were built in Brush Park beginning in the 1850s and peaking in the 1870s and 1880s; one of the last homes built was constructed in 1906 by architect Albert Kahn for his personal use. Kahn lived in this home until his death in 1942, after which it was obtained by the Detroit Urban League, which still uses it today. Other early residents of Brush Park included lumber baron David Whitney Jr., his daughter Grace Whitney Evans, Joseph L. Hudson, founder of the eponymous department store, and dry goods manufacturer Ransom Gyllis. Architects who designed these mansions included Henry T. Brush, George D. Mason, George W. Nettleton, and Albert Kahn.
During the 19th century, around 300 homes were built in Brush Park, including 70 Victorian mansions. However, the neighborhood began to decline in the late 19th and early 20th century, when the advent of streetcars and then automobiles allowed prosperous citizens to live further from downtown. Early residents moved out, notably to up-and-coming neighborhoods such as Indian Village and Boston-Edison, and the neighborhood became less fashionable. During the Great Depression, many of the old mansions were subdivided into apartments, and as demand for housing fell after World War II, the homes were abandoned and fell into disrepair. As of 2001, about 154 original structures remained in the area.
Brush Park's revival began in the 1990s and has accelerated recently. A number of the older mansions have been restored, and more have been stabilized. In addition, new condominiums have been built in the southern part of Brush Park, near the Fisher Freeway. [3]
Many buildings in the neighborhood are on the State of Michigan Registry of Historic Sites and the National Register of Historic Places.
[edit] References
- ^ Ann Mullen, "Brush Park and hope," Metro Times, 1/3/2001
- ^ Brush Park Historic District from the City of Detroit
- ^ Dennis Archambault, "Forging Brush Park," 2/14/06
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