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93-575: The Ransom Gillis House is a historic home located at 205 Alfred Street (formerly 63 Alfred prior to renumbering) in Midtown Detroit, Michigan , within the Brush Park district. It was designed by Henry T. Brush and George D. Mason and built between 1876 and 1878. The structure, unoccupied since the mid-1960s, was "mothballed" by the City of Detroit in 2005–2006, in hopes of restoration in

186-537: A board member of Grace Hospital, and the Lake St. Clair Fishing and Shooting Club. Ransom Gillis died on 31 December 1901 from pneumonia. Midtown Detroit Midtown Detroit is a commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue , north of Downtown Detroit , and south of the New Center area. The area includes several historic districts . In addition, it contains

279-523: A carrier of autos and auto-related parts. The Michigan Central was one of the few Michigan railroads with a direct line into Chicago, meaning it did not have to operate cross-lake ferries , as did virtually all other railroads operating in Michigan, such as the Pere Marquette , Pennsylvania , Grand Trunk , and Ann Arbor Railroads . Michigan Central was part owner of the ferry service operated to

372-873: A core area that attracted other public-oriented institutions to the area, including several music schools, the Merrill-Palmer Institute , the Detroit Historical Museum , and the College for Creative Studies . The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History , the Detroit Science Center , and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit also are located in the Art Center area. The Art Center portion of Midtown also contains substantial residential areas, including

465-598: A downturn for the Midtown area. Newly constructed buildings fell into foreclosure, and many of the formerly well-paid auto workers living in the area were out of work. By the time the recovery from World War II stimulated the economy, industry had relocated to the suburbs, and the area gradually became more residential. During the Great Depression , many of the older mansions were subdivided into apartments, and as demand for housing fell after World War II . In

558-532: A general hospital. In 1882 a new hospital building was constructed on what is now the campus of the DMC. Additional buildings were constructed in 1913 and 1928. Hutzel Women's Hospital, founded in 1868, was Detroit's second hospital. Grace Hospital was founded in 1883, and Children's Hospital was founded three years later. Detroit Receiving was founded in 1915, and moved to its present location in 1980. In 2012, two major construction projects were begun in New Center ,

651-460: A handful of buildings, presumably farm structures, were located in the area. The first east-west street in what is now Brush Park , in the southern section of Midtown, was not opened until 1852. It wasn't until during the Civil War , as the downtown district became more business-oriented, that northern Woodward Avenue began to be developed. Construction turned the area that is now Midtown into

744-520: A larger plot of land on the west side of the city along Livernois Avenue, then consisting of two roundhouses and car repair shops. In 1919 new freight and locomotive terminals were constructed in Niles, Michigan . However, the primary locomotive and car repair shops during the steam era were located in Jackson, Michigan , established in 1871. They closed in 1949 during a coal strike and never reopened due to

837-581: A number of historic districts and neighborhoods. In addition to the buildings within historic districts, there are numerous historically significant structures located within Midtown. Many of these structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and include structures from three multiple property submissions : the University–Cultural Center Multiple Resource Area Phases I and II, and

930-416: A primarily upscale, quiet residential district, far from the hustle of the city center. Urban development of the area accelerated in 1870, when the population of Detroit was nearly 80,000. Streetcar lines established in the 1860s allowed residents to more conveniently travel from the Midtown area to downtown. The West Canfield Historic District , platted in 1871, was one of the first recorded subdivisions in

1023-687: A residential area of some 14,550 people and covers 2.09 sq mi. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south. The Midtown area is a general mixed-use community area of neighborhoods containing successive waves of development that have transformed

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1116-561: A victim of extensive vandalism. Over the next 30 years, several proposals and concepts for redevelopment were suggested, none coming to fruition. The estimated cost of renovations was $ 80 million, but the owners viewed finding the right use as a greater problem than financing. Though listed on the National Register of Historic Places , the Detroit City Council passed a resolution to demolish the station in April 2009. The council

1209-550: Is also gone. Amtrak trains serving the Michigan Central Detroit line now use the former NYC to Porter, where they turn north on Michigan Central. Passenger equipment was mostly similar to that of parent New York Central System. Typically this meant an EMD E-series locomotive and Pullman-Standard lightweight rolling stock. Because General Motors ( Electro-Motive Division ) was a large customer of Michigan Central, use of Alco or General Electric locomotives

1302-756: Is home the Detroit Medical Center, the largest private employer in the city of Detroit with more than 12,000 employees. The DMC has more than 2,000 licensed beds and 3,000 affiliated physicians. The DMC is the affiliated clinical research site for medical program at Wayne State University, the nation's fourth largest medical school. On March 19, 2010, Vanguard Health Systems announced plans to invest nearly $ 1.5 B in Detroit Medical Center , including $ 850 M for expansion and renovation, and $ 417 M to retire debts, pending approval of its acquisition. The newspaper Metro Times moved to

1395-598: Is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now houses the Gandy Dancer Restaurant. The Michigan Central also built and operated a swing bridge over Trail Creek at Michigan City, Indiana . This swing bridge is similar to the moving span at Spuyten Duyvil owned by parent New York Central, but has no approach spans. It is still in operation and owned by Amtrak. No historic Michigan Central-specific equipment exists today. After

1488-658: Is now Clara's on the River Restaurant. Located between Augusta and Galesburg Michigan, the massive re-enforced concrete building stands over the Detroit to Chicago mainline. Built in 1923, it was used to refuel and water steam engines. It fell out of use post-World War II, as diesel engines came onto the scene. The former Michigan Central Station in Ann Arbor , Michigan, a granite stone block building built in 1886 and designed by Frederick Spier of Spier and Rohns ,

1581-723: The Canadian Pacific Railway . The Michigan Central Railway Bridge opened in February 1925 and remained in use until the early 21st century. It replaced the earlier Niagara Cantilever Bridge which had been commissioned in 1883 by Cornelius Vanderbilt ; the older bridge was scrapped as the new MCR bridge went into service. The MCR cantilever bridge was inducted into the North America Railway Hall of Fame in 2006, long after it had been scrapped. The Hall of Fame report discussed its significance to

1674-641: The Cass Farm Multiple Property Submission . These structures include: The area that is now Midtown was first platted after the disastrous 1805 fire in Detroit, when the United States Congress authorized the platting of a new village at Detroit. Land titles were granted to settle remaining uncertainty over the ownership of some parcels, which was in part due to the then fairly recent departure of British colonial forces. During this platting, congress authorized

1767-501: The Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south. The Chrysler followed the course of Hastings Street, the center of African-American life in Detroit at the time. To house displaced residents, the Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects were built in the far east of the Midtown area, near

1860-580: The Detroit Institute of Arts , and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building. The district contains several cultural attractions. The library and art museum were built in the 1920s, heralding a City Beautiful movement in Detroit that aimed to establish the area along Woodward as the cultural center of the city. Wayne State University , then housed in the former Central High School, began offering four-year degrees. These institutions formed

1953-674: The East Ferry Avenue Historic District and scattered late-19th century homes to the east of the Detroit Institute of Art. These neighborhoods have been infilled with townhomes and other residential developments and revitalizations. South of Wayne State University, the North Cass (or Cass Farm ) area contains a substantial number of multi-unit apartment houses, many mixed with earlier single-family homes. This area has been heavily influenced by

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2046-511: The Henry Ford Health System started the first phase of a $ 500 million, 300-acre revitalization project, with the construction of a new $ 30 million, 275,000-square-foot, Medical Distribution Center for Cardinal Health, Inc. and Wayne State University started construction on a new $ 93 million, 207,000-square-foot, Integrative Biosciences Center (IBio). As many as 500 researchers and staff will work out of

2139-924: The Maccabees Building in Midtown. In 2002 the district paid the owner of the Fisher Building $ 24.1 million in so the district could occupy five floors in the building; the Fisher Building in the New Center area now serves as the DPS headquarters. Three K-8 schools, Golightly and Spain in Midtown and Edmonson outside of Midtown, serve portions of Midtown. All residents are zoned to Martin Luther King High School , outside of Midtown. The DPS magnet schools Cass Technical High School and Detroit School of Arts are also in Midtown. Midtown also houses two campuses of

2232-671: The Mackinac Transportation Company , which operated the SS Chief Wawatam until 1984. The Chief Wawatam was a front-loading, hand-fired, coal-fed steamer . It was the last hand-fired steamer in the free world at its long-overdue retirement in 1984. The Chief Wawatam continued to operate until 2009, cut down to a barge . One Chief Wawatam engine was salvaged and restored by the Wisconsin Maritime Museum . Other artifacts from

2325-545: The University Prep Schools charter school system: Prior to its closure, Murray-Wright High School served Midtown Detroit. At one point in the first decade of the 21st century a portion of Midtown was served by Dewey PK-8 for elementary school, while a portion was served by Edmonson Elementary. Two separate portions of Midtown were served by Golightly K-8 and Spain PK-8 for elementary school. At one point in

2418-650: The Upper Peninsula as well as cross-river ferry service to Ontario , but these routes did not exist to circumvent Chicago. The Michigan Central Railroad (MCR) and then parent New York Central Railroad (NYC) owned the Canada Southern Railroad (CSR), which had lines throughout southwestern Ontario from Windsor to Niagara Falls . The railroad operated a car-float service over the Detroit River from 1883; an immersed tube tunnel under

2511-433: The "buyer of the house". Edson, Moore, & Company ultimately grew to span 194 through 204 Jefferson Avenue, with an area of 125 x 120 feet. They featured wholesale dry goods such as Irish and Scottish linens, hosiery and gloves from Saxony, goods from Europe, and goods from American mills. In December 1893, the massive store on Jefferson was gutted by a fire that was estimated to do $ 750,000 in damage. Seven employees died in

2604-402: The 1950s, demolition of out-moded houses and businesses began, a practice that extended into the 1980s. Wayne State University also began to have more influence in the area, rehabilitating old buildings and building new ones in the northwestern section of the neighborhood. The current boundaries of Midtown were also delineated when the interstate freeways through Detroit were built, particularly

2697-692: The Arnold E. Frank Building in Midtown in 2017. In 2016, an estimated 20,000 people lived in Midtown Detroit, a 7 percent increase since 2013. The neighborhood has one of the lowest crime rates in city, in part due to its relationship with the Wayne State University Police who patrol the neighborhood in addition to the Detroit Police. From 2008 to 2015, crime decreased 52 percent in Midtown compared to 18 percent in

2790-581: The Canada Division Passenger Service, saw a major surge beginning at the start of the 1920s. Between 1920 and 1922, the legendary Wolverine passenger train operated in two sections, five days per week along CSR's mainline. Then, in the summer of 1923, the eastbound Wolverine began running from Detroit to Buffalo without any scheduled stops in Canada, making the trip in 4 hours and 50 minutes, an unprecedented achievement. During

2883-511: The Chrysler and what once had been the thriving Hastings Street community. As the focus shifted to revitalization in the 1990s, more structures in the area have been refurbished, by Wayne State, other public groups, and by private parties. In September 2005 the company Lovio George Inc., located at Forest and Third in Detroit, revealed a new logo for Midtown Detroit. In 2011, Midtown's apartment buildings were 94% occupied. Midtown Detroit

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2976-685: The Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario; and the MCR cantilever bridge at Niagara Falls , which was later replaced with a steel arch bridge in 1925. The car-float operation ended when the Detroit River tunnel was completed. Control of Canada Southern passed from MCR to NYC, then Penn Central, then Conrail . In 1985, the Canada Southern was sold to two companies, the Canadian National Railway and

3069-539: The Fisher freeway, and extends east and west from Woodward Avenue to Beaubien Street. Brush Park was developed beginning in the 1850s as a residential neighborhood for Detroit's elite citizens. Construction peaked in the 1870s and 1880s; one of the last homes built was constructed in 1906 by architect Albert Kahn for his personal use. Early residents of Brush Park included lumber baron David Whitney Jr. , his daughter Grace Whitney Evans, Joseph L. Hudson , founder of

3162-683: The IBio Center. South of Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, the area of Midtown around Cass Park is at a substantial distance from both the downtown core and the influence of Wayne State. The area around Cass Park proper is anchored by Cass Technical High School and the Detroit Masonic Temple , but the portion near Woodward Avenue and the once-fashionable Park Avenue district are awaiting redevelopment. The Brush Park district proper runs from Mack Avenue to

3255-646: The MC had a lease that ran for a few more years. The MC route from Chicago to Porter, Indiana , is mostly intact. The Kensington Interchange, shared with the South Shore Line , was cut out. These tracks now belong to Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad , and are overgrown stub tracks ending short of the interchange. Some trackage around the Indiana Harbor Belt's Gibson Yard has also been removed. The MC's South Water Street freight trackage in downtown Chicago

3348-509: The Main Library in Midtown. The current library facility opened on March 21, 1921. The extension wings of the facility opened on June 23, 1963. Michigan Central Railroad At the end of 1925, MC operated 1,871 miles (3,011 km) of road and 4,139 miles (6,661 km) of track; that year it reported 4,304,000 net ton-miles of revenue freight and 600 million passenger-miles. The line between Detroit and St. Joseph, Michigan ,

3441-563: The Michigan Central after dieselization. The station in Dexter, Michigan, has some railroad memorabilia around it, such as an old level crossing signal and a baggage cart. The Michigan Central, having been only a "paper" railroad for decades and not owning any track since the late 1970s, was merged into United Railroad Corp. (a subsidiary of Penn Central) on December 7, 1995. Today, Norfolk Southern owns most trackage not abandoned in

3534-745: The Niles station is occasionally portrayed in film. Also the Dowagiac station is used by Amtrak which was built by M.C.R.R. In July 2007, Norfolk Southern was in talks with Watco , a shortline holding company, to sell the Kalamazoo-Detroit portion of the Michigan Central main line. The proposal was set before the Surface Transportation Board , and was officially endorsed by Amtrak in September 2007. In December 2007

3627-640: The University constructing new buildings as well as repurposing older buildings located in the area. As of fall 2015, nearly 30,000 students were enrolled at Wayne State: over 18,000 undergraduate students and over 8,000 graduate students, with the remainder enrolled in professional programs. The Art Center (or Cultural Center) is centered on the Cultural Center Historic District : the Detroit Public Library ,

3720-629: The addition of other hospitals, such as Detroit Receiving Hospital , the campus of the DMC and its adjacent partner institutions (the Karmanos Cancer Institute and the John D. Dingell Veteran's Administration Hospital Center) now takes up most of the area between Mack Avenue on the south, Warren Avenue on the north, John R. on the west, and Beaubien on the east. Harper Hospital was founded in 1863, receiving its first patients, Civil War soldiers, in 1864. Two years later it opened as

3813-501: The area multiple times since it was first platted. The neighborhoods are dominated by the thoroughfare of Woodward Avenue , which runs north and south through the heart of Midtown. This neighborhood was previously known as Cass Corridor and many Detroiters continue to refer to it as such. Woodward Avenue, running north and south through the center of the neighborhood, is primarily inhabited by commercial businesses, public-oriented/cultural institutions, and religious buildings. The heart of

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3906-402: The area. The district features large and expensive lots, and many prominent Detroiters settled on the block. A severe depression slowed development, but it picked up again in the late 1870s. The period from 1880 to 1895 brought a boom in the construction of elegant single-family and duplex homes in the Midtown area. The lots on Woodward were the most expensive and featured the most opulent homes;

3999-538: The area. Midtown's proximity to the automotive plants in the Milwaukee Junction area made it ideal for housing auto workers. During the 1910s and 1920s, larger apartment buildings were constructed in the area, and many remaining single-family homes were converted into boardinghouses. Commercial usage also increased in the area, particularly in automotive-related sectors: showrooms, service stations, and part supply businesses. The Great Depression heralded

4092-414: The building for redevelopment into a mixed use facility and cornerstone of the company's new Corktown campus. The Michigan Central station at Niles, Michigan , is also famous, having appeared in several Hollywood movies. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Michigan Central Railroad Depot (Battle Creek, MI) opened on July 27, 1888. Rogers and MacFarlane of Detroit designed

4185-553: The building is of the Beaux-Arts Classical style of architecture, designed by the Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem firms who also designed New York City 's Grand Central Terminal . As such, Michigan Central Station bears more than a passing resemblance to New York's famed rail station. It was the world's tallest railroad terminal at that time. Last used by Amtrak in 1988, Michigan Central Station then become

4278-471: The carriage house was then occupied by an auto repair shop , a battery service shop, and finally a filling station , before being torn down and replaced by a restaurant in 1935. The restaurant operated until the 1960s and was demolished in 2005-2006, as part of the city's "mothballing" work on the property. A storefront was added to the front of the Ransom Gillis House in the late 1930s and

4371-518: The center of Detroit, and families of means moved out of the stately houses along Woodward and in Brush Park. The construction of Orchestra Hall heralded a City Beautiful movement that turned much of the area into public-oriented space; the idea of turning Midtown into a cultural mecca continued with the construction of the library and the DIA in the 1920s. The rise of the automobile also changed

4464-474: The city overall. Wayne State University is located in Midtown. The College for Creative Studies is also located in Midtown and is one of the top art schools in the country. Additionally, the University of Michigan Detroit Center and Michigan State University Detroit Center are both located in the Midtown district. The area is zoned to Detroit Public Schools . At one time DPS had its headquarters in

4557-565: The coach and went off the track to the right; its pilot dug into the dirt, and the locomotive whipped around and slammed over on its side, facing in the direction from which it came. Both the engineer and the fireman were killed in the wreck, making the death toll 37. The MCR Jackson station in Jackson, Michigan, opened in 1873 and is the oldest continuously operated passenger station in North America. The Dexter, Michigan, train depot

4650-473: The conversion of motive power to diesel engines. The Michigan Central Railroad (MCR) operated mostly passenger trains between Chicago and Detroit. These trains ranged from locals to the Wolverine . In 1904, MCR began a long-term lease of Canada Southern Railway (CSR), which operated the most direct route between Detroit and New York. CSR's mainline cut through the heart of southwestern Ontario , between Windsor and Fort Erie . The new service, known as

4743-459: The crossing on the ties, and was rerailed by the crossing's frog, the tender and first several cars of the train remained derailed as they rode the ties. The train stopped with the Michigan Central locomotive about 400 feet beyond the crossing and the first coach fouling the crossing. The 'Interstate Express' locomotive (NYC 4828) hit the wooden coach broadside, demolishing it, killing 35 passengers, and injuring 11. Locomotive 4828 derailed upon hitting

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4836-427: The cultural center (the Detroit Public Library and the Detroit Institute of Arts ) is located directly on Woodward in the northern part of Midtown. The north part of Midtown west of Woodward Avenue is dominated by Wayne State University, whose campus subsumes nearly the entire northwest portion of Midtown north of Warren Avenue and west of Woodward. Wayne State University's campus covers 203 acres (0.82 km ) in

4929-400: The depot, one of several Richardsonian Romanesque-style stations between Detroit and Chicago in the late nineteenth century. Thomas Edison as well as presidents William Howard Taft and Gerald Ford visited here. The depot was acquired by the New York Central Railroad in 1918, Penn Central in 1968 and Amtrak in 1970. The depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 and

5022-412: The early 1980s. Lake State Railway now operates the remnants former Detroit-Mackinaw City line from Bay City to Gaylord , which is partially owned by the state of Michigan. What remained of CASO was mostly abandoned by Canadian National in 2011, after seeing little to no traffic for years. Amtrak owns the Detroit line from Porter, Indiana , to Kalamazoo, Michigan , while the state of Michigan owns

5115-448: The eponymous department store, lumber baron Lucien Moore, banker Frederick Butler, and dry goods manufacturer Ransom Gillis. During the 19th century, around 300 homes were built in Brush Park, including 70 Victorian mansions. The neighborhood is currently experiencing restoration of its historic homes; at present, about 80 original structures remain in the area. Brush Park's revival began in the 1990s and has accelerated recently. A number of

5208-427: The expansion of Wayne State, with some of WSU's campus extending into the northern section of North Cass, and much of the residential housing stock taken up by Wayne students. There are also a number of commercial buildings, particularly along the Cass Corridor just west of Woodward. Many of these support commercial businesses, and an independent retail study by the University Cultural Center Association has shown that

5301-406: The farm passed on to the couple and eventually their son Edmund. Edmund Brush began subdividing the farm in the latter half of the 19th century. Despite the early date of the platting of the Park Lots, development of the area was slow at first, as early 19th century growth in Detroit occurred primarily east and west of Woodward, along Fort Street and Jefferson Avenue . Even into the 1840s, only

5394-421: The ferry, including the whistle, wheel, telegraphs, and furniture, are preserved by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission in Mackinaw City . Car floats also ran across the Detroit River to Windsor, Ontario, for high and wide loads that could not fit through the tunnels. The major competitors of the Michigan Central were: On June 22, 1918, the engineer of a Michigan Central troop train fell asleep, causing

5487-443: The fire, including two who were forced to jump from the fifth floor of the burning building. In November 1913, the firm relocated to a storefront at 494-514 Fort Street in Detroit. They advertised the new location as being at the north-east corner of Fort Street and M.C.R.R. (Michigan Central Rail Road). Gillis married Helen A. Gaylord in 1870, and together they had three children: Ransom Fay, Gaylord Wilson, and Grace M. Ransom Fay

5580-467: The first decade of the 21st century a portion of Midtown was served by Dewey PK-8 for middle school, while another section was served by Sherrard PK-8 for middle school; during that time Spain PK-8 served the rest of Midtown. Previously Malcolm X K-8 in Midtown and Burton K-8 outside of Midtown served portions of Midtown. Prior to its 2012 closure, the Detroit Day School for the Deaf was located adjacent to Midtown. Detroit Public Library operates

5673-434: The future. On November 1, 2015, the completely refurbished home opened its doors to the public after a thorough renovation in a joint project between HGTV , Rehab Addict's Nicole Curtis, and Detroit-based mortgage lender Quicken Loans . The project resulted in an eight-part special that aired on HGTV . The Ransom Gillis House was built at a cost of $ 12,000 for Ransom Gillis, a wholesale dry goods merchant. The property

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5766-482: The line from there to Dearborn, Michigan . This line is a projected "high speed" line; a portion of the line was converted to 110 MPH operation in early 2012 with further upgrades planned. Amtrak operates three Chicago-Detroit- Pontiac trains each way per day, under the old banner Wolverine . The Port Huron train (the Blue Water ) also uses this line as far east as Battle Creek, Michigan . Both Kalamazoo and Niles have retained their old Michigan Central Stations;

5859-409: The line to Kensington, Illinois , (now a south Chicago neighborhood) in 1852, using Illinois Central trackage rights to downtown Chicago. The completed railroad was 270 miles (430 km) in length. In the same year the first train ran from Detroit to Chicago. The first repair shops were built in 1851 and located on 20 acres of waterfront property in Detroit, Michigan . In 1873 they were moved to

5952-417: The lots immediately off the main street were soon filled with the homes of Detroit's upper class. School and religious buildings were also constructed in the area. As Detroit grew, the demand for apartment housing also grew; beginning in 1895, the construction in the Cass Farm area began to focus more on small apartment buildings. This was particularly true in the last portion of the district to be developed,

6045-422: The northwestern section of Midtown. Wayne's campus is irregular, and parts extend south of Warren (notably Old Main ) and north of I-94, out of Midtown and into the New Center neighborhood. Additionally, Wayne's athletic facilities are west of the Lodge Freeway. Wayne is one of Michigan's three research institutions and serves over 32,000 students. The first portion of what later became Wayne State University

6138-514: The number of independent retail outlets in Midtown Detroit is increasing. The north Cass section also has a smattering of industrial buildings dating from the automotive heyday of Detroit. Many of these, such as the Willys Overland building, have been or are being converted into residential loft space. The Detroit Medical Center was organized in 1985 as a union among several hospitals: Harper University Hospital , Grace Hospital , Hutzel Women's Hospital , and Children's Hospital of Michigan . With

6231-404: 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. In the far southeastern corner of Midtown, to the east of Beaubien and Brush Park proper, the now-demolished Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects were located near the Chrysler Freeway. Midtown contains within its boundaries

6324-435: The platting of land north of Detroit on both sides of the main thoroughfare, Woodward Avenue. These lots were known as the "Park Lots." The section of Midtown to the west of the Park Lots is known as the "Cass Farm" area, after the name of one of the original ribbon farms that ran north from the river through the area. The original Cass Farm ran between what is now Cass Avenue and Third Avenue. In 1816, Lewis Cass purchased

6417-485: The project, saying, "The energy here [Detroit] is unreal and it's unmatched anywhere else. For doing what I do, to be in a city that's excited for us to be here and not fighting us? It's a huge thing." Work on the house began in the summer of 2015. Curtis led the renovation of the 1876-built mansion for an eight-part HGTV series sponsored by Quicken Loans, the mortgage lender founded by local billionaire Dan Gilbert . The series originally aired in November 2015. Ransom Gillis

6510-436: The railroad with T-rail of not less than sixty pounds to the yard and also to replace the poorly built rails between Kalamazoo and Detroit with similar quality rail, as the state-built rail was of low quality. The new owners met this obligation by building the rest of the line some 74.84 miles (120.44 km) to the shores of Lake Michigan by 1849. However, rather than go to St. Joseph, instead they went to New Buffalo . This

6603-405: The railway industry in the category of "North America: Facilities & Structures." All major Michigan railroads except the Michigan Central operated a rail ferry service across Lake Michigan . The MC had the most direct route across Southern Michigan from Detroit to Chicago. The Michigan Central also had the best access to Chicago of any Michigan railroad. The Michigan Central did own part of

6696-579: The ribbon farm. The property was gradually developed over the years, with the sections closest to the river being developed first. By the time Cass died in 1866, a few of the blocks north of Martin Luther King Boulevard had just been platted. Cass's children continued to plat the area after his death. Two more farms ran through Midtown west of Woodward: the Jones/Crane Farm, named for De Garmo Jones , onetime mayor of Detroit, which

6789-818: The same summer, the Canada Division was moving 2,300 through passengers per day. By the end of the decade, a fleet of 205 J-1 class Hudsons – one of the most powerful locomotives for passenger service yet designed – was hauling passengers along the CSR mainline. However, by the 1930s the Wolverine was making stops in the Canadian section of the route. Also, by the late 1940s, the Empire State Express passed from Buffalo into Southwestern Ontario; however, it terminated at Detroit. While Michigan Central

6882-487: The school was renamed Wayne State University. Since the early 1940s, Wayne State University, backed by the City Planning Commission, has shaped the development of the surrounding area through its plan for growth. The availability of urban redevelopment grants beginning in the 1950s became an important funding resource for expansion of the university. The size of the campus has continued to expand, with

6975-490: The section south of Warren between Cass and Third. Here a number of small-scale apartment buildings were constructed around the start of the 20th century. As the city continued to expand, the character of the neighborhood changed. Even before World War I , the congestion along Woodward precipitated a change from upper-class housing to commercial ventures. The rise of the automobile made more distant neighborhoods such as Boston-Edison and Indian Village easily accessible from

7068-645: The steam era, almost all equipment was lettered for New York Central. Many common New York Central locomotives and rolling stock are preserved in places like Illinois Railway Museum and the National New York Central Museum, in Elkhart, Indiana. The latter includes a sample passenger train in NYC livery, although the two coaches are actually of Illinois Central heritage. The E8 and observation car are original NYC equipment and very likely served on

7161-404: The structure is the turret situated in the front left corner, the circumference of which is accented by five rows of tiles of simple geometric designs in hues of bright blue, red, yellow, and brown. Similar tile work was spread throughout the rest of the structure. The base of the turret is decorated with stone carvings of quadruplets of flower blossoms, similar but all slightly different. The turret

7254-488: The train to run into the rear of a Hagenbeck–Wallace Circus train that was stopped near Hammond, Indiana. The accident resulted in 86 deaths, with another 127 people injured. On February 27, 1921, the Michigan Central's 'Canadian' ran a red signal at Porter, Indiana, and entered a diamond crossing in front of the New York Central's 'Interstate Express'. The 'Canadian's locomotive hit the derailer, slid through

7347-543: Was an independent subsidiary of the New York Central System, passenger trains were staged from Illinois Central's Central Station (in Chicago) as a tenant. When MC operations were completely integrated into NYC in the 1950s, trains were re-deployed to NYC's LaSalle Street Station home, where other NYC trains such as the 20th Century Limited were staged. IC sued for breach of contract and won because

7440-475: Was because they had decided to extend the road all the way to Chicago. With this, the first crossing of the state of Michigan (Lower Peninsula) was completed. This involved passing through two other states and getting leave from two state legislatures to do so. To facilitate this process, they bought the Joliet and Northern Indiana Railroad in 1851. Thus they reached Michigan City, Indiana , by 1850 and finished

7533-632: Was born on December 20, 1838, in Washington County, New York , to Alexander Gillis and Jane Wilson. Ransom, one of eight children, attended public schools and the Argyle Academy. He relocated to Detroit in 1864 and found work at the Allen-Sheldon Dry Goods Company . He worked there until 1872, when he founded Edson, Moore & Company with colleagues James L. Edson and George F. Moore. Gillis operated as

7626-477: Was born on November 3, 1871. He attended Yale University in 1894 and 1895. Grace M. married David S. Carter and died in 1901. Gaylord, born July 1, 1873, attended the University of Michigan and succeeded his father in the dry goods business, working for Edson, Moore & Company . Gillis was a member of many key institutions in Detroit, including the Old Michigan Club, First Presbyterian Church,

7719-495: Was built to replace a former station that had burned down. It served passenger trains until the early 1950s. Today, the station is home to the Ann Arbor Model Railroad Club, which hosts open houses the first Wednesday of each month. It also has some railroad memorabilia such as an old crossing signal and baggage cart. Michigan Central was the owner of Michigan Central Station in Detroit. Opened in 1913,

7812-423: Was less common. Prior to the automobile, Michigan Central was mostly a carrier of natural resources. Michigan had extensive reserves of timber at the time, and the Michigan Central owned lines from east to west of the state and north to south, tapping all resources available. After the advent of the automobile as one of the most dominant forces of commerce, with Detroit at the epicenter, the Michigan Central became

7905-582: Was located between what is now Third Avenue and the alley east of Fourth Street; and the Forsythe Farm, located between what is now Fourth Street and the Lodge Freeway. To the east of the Park Lots, the ribbon farm running through the midtown area was owned by John Askin , an Irish trader. Askin's daughter Adelaide married Elijah Brush , the scion of the well-known Brush family of Detroit;

7998-574: Was met with strong opposition from Detroit resident Stanley Christmas, who in turn, sued the city of Detroit to stop the demolition effort, citing the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 . The station shows up in the first part of the Godfrey Reggio movie Naqoyqatsi and is frequently used by Michael Bay in such films as The Island and Transformers . In May 2018, Ford Motor Company purchased

8091-469: Was operated along with the rooming house until the mid-1960s. Various attempts were made to restore the main structure in the 1970s, 1980s, and mid-2000s, none of which succeeded. As of 2001, the City of Detroit was the legal owner of the property. The Ransom Gillis House brought to Detroit the Venetian Gothic style, made popular by John Ruskin 's book The Stones of Venice . The centerpiece of

8184-420: Was originally planned in 1830 to provide freight service between Detroit and Chicago by train to St. Joseph and via boat service on to Chicago. The Detroit and St. Joseph Railroad was chartered in 1831 with a capital of $ 1,500,000. The railroad actually began construction on May 18, 1836, starting at "King's Corner" in Detroit, which was the name by which the southeast corner of Jefferson and Woodward Avenue

8277-499: Was renamed the Central Railroad of Michigan . By 1840 the railroad was again out of money and had completed track only between Detroit and Dexter, Michigan . In 1846, the state sold the railroad to the newly incorporated Michigan Central corporation for $ 2,000,000. By this time the railroad had reached Kalamazoo, Michigan , a distance of 143.16 miles (230.39 km). The new private corporation had committed to complete

8370-439: Was sold by Gillis in 1880. The house and property passed through the hands of four different upper-income families between 1880 and 1919. After this time, the main structure was converted into a rooming house , along with most of the other structures on the street. The carriage house behind the structure was rented by Mary Chase Perry Stratton in 1903, becoming the first home of Pewabic Pottery . The pottery moved in 1906, and

8463-479: Was supported from below by an ornate stone post. Dark, ornately carved wood columns enclosed the porch at the entrance to the house. Lastly, a steep, dark slate mansard roof with ornate iron cresting completed the peaks in a traditional detail of the day. On March 25, 2015, the Detroit Free Press announced that Nicole Curtis would be restoring the home on her TV series, Rehab Addict . Curtis spoke of

8556-571: Was the Detroit Medical College, which was founded in 1868. The school of education was begun in 1881. In 1896, Old Main was built as Detroit's Central High School. College classes were added in 1913, and these Liberal Arts classes evolved into Detroit Junior College in 1917. The school began offering four-year degrees in 1923 and graduate courses were added in 1930. Three years later, the previously disparate colleges were united under one administration into Wayne University. In 1956,

8649-447: Was then known. However, this is not the location of Michigan Central Station , which apparently replaced this building. The small private organization quickly ran into problems securing cheap land in the private market, and abandonment of the project was discussed. The City of Detroit invested $ 50,000 in the project. The State of Michigan bailed out the railroad in 1837 by purchasing it and investing $ 5,000,000. The now state-owned company

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