Grand Boulevard (colloquially referred to by residents simply asthe Boulevard)[1] is a thoroughfare inDetroit, running east to west in some places and north to south in other places and is approximately 11 miles in length. It once constituted the city limits of Detroit. Grand Boulevard is named the "Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard" in the area where theMotown Historical Museum is located and the "General Motors Boulevard" in the area of Detroit's "New Center" where theFisher Building andCadillac Place (formerly the General Motors Building) are located.[2][3]
These citizens proposed adopting Haussmann's concepts by surrounding Detroit with its "Grand Boulevard." WhenBelle Isle was transferred from the state to the city of Detroit, Michigan legislator James Randall included a rider calling for the construction of this Grand Boulevard.[4] However, the city government refused to begin work on the road right away, although a few people built homes along the Boulevard's proposed route.[4]
Finally, in 1891, Detroit mayorHazen S. Pingree supported the idea and broke ground on the construction of Grand Boulevard, a ring road that wrapped around the city of Detroit.[6] The Boulevard ran for 12 miles (19 km), curving from theDetroit River on the west and returning to that river on the east, crossingWoodward Avenue at a point approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the downtown area.[6] The Boulevard was originally thought to represent the absolute limit of the city's expansion. However, tremendous growth at the beginning of the 20th century quickly pushed the city limits far beyond Grand Boulevard to its north, its east, and its west.[6]
A view of West Grand Boulevard circa 1913
By 1913, Grand Boulevard was completed, encircling the central most and oldest portion of the city. It was generally recognized as a major attraction of the city; the entire length was decorated with trees, shrubbery, and flowerbeds.[7]
By the early 1980s, to accommodate the construction ofa new General Motors plant, portions of East Grand Boulevard were reconfigured. This was part of a controversial use ofeminent domain by the City of Detroit which allowed for demolition of a substantial portion of the nearbyPoletown neighborhood in order to make way for the plant. The controversy sparked opposition within the neighborhood.[8][9] The Michigan Supreme Court, in the 1981 case ofPoletown Neighborhood Council v. City of Detroit, settled the matter by ruling that the project did constitute a legitimate use of eminent domain authority and that the evictions could proceed.[10]
Many years ago, the streetcar route which traveled along much of Grand Boulevard, as well as on neighboring streets parallel to Grand Boulevard, was formally called the "Grand Belt" line because of Grand Boulevard's belt-like configuration around the most central part of Detroit.[11] The subsequent bus route which likewise traveled on some, but not all, of Grand Boulevard retained the "Grand Belt" name until a service cut in 2009 eliminated that public transit coverage entirely.[12]
Built in 1927 by the Fisher brothers, who ownedFisher Body of General Motors, this skyscraper is one of the greatest works by architectAlbert Kahn. The Fishers spent lavishly to make thisArt Deco masterpiece a monumental gift to Detroit and one of the most finely detailed major commercial buildings in the United States.[13]
The Packard Plant was a former automotive-manufacturing-facility that crossed over Grand Boulevard; theconnecting walkway was destroyed in awindstorm in 2019.[15] The city ruled in 2022, that the Industrial complex undergo an emergency demolition.[16]
M-85 (Fort Street)
M-3 (Gratiot Avenue)
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