Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 26 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

DOWNTOWN

300th anniversary, and Martin Luther King in the throes of his famous speech, a sculpture by Stan Watts inaugurated in 2023, the year of the 60th anniversary commemoration of the March on Washington. Hart Plaza is where the Reverend King first delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, which he would deliver again later in Washington DC. Back in the direction of W. Jefferson Ave, Transcending (David Barr and Sergio De Giusti, 2003) is a monument resembling a broken ring, in celebration of the labor movement. The Fist , a work by Robert Graham (1986), honors the famous son of the city and one of the greatest boxers of all time ( T p. 151) . ASCENDING WOODWARD AVENUE The main thoroughfare in Downtown, Woodward Avenue is lined with old buildings featuring brick or ceramic facades. On Woodward Ave, the iconic Monument to Joe Louis , called

cyclists, the route is punctuated by green spaces, play areas, and coffee shops ( T Rivertown, p. 58) . The Gateway to Freedom monument G7 (Ed Dwight, 2001), flanked by two pillars bearing a flame, features a group of eight slaves looking towards Canada, accompanied by a figure guiding their last steps towards freedom ( T p. 45) . Hart Plaza G7 This is where most of Detroit’s public events and festivals take place, not least Movement , a highlight of the electronic music scene since 2000. This vast esplanade is located where the first stone of Fort Detroit is said to have been laid. In its center, the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain by Isamu Noguchi (1978) pays homage to the eponymous auto manufacturer, with its horizontal stainless steel ring encircling the water jets that spurt from a granite basin. Look out too for the explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (W. Kieffer and A. Feeley, 2001), in the form of a bronze sculpture unveiled for the occasion of the city’s

WHERE TO EAT Joe Muer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡ Wright & Company . . . . . . . . . ¢ American Coney Island . . . . . £ Lafayette Coney Island . . . . . . ¤ The Hudson Cafe . . . . . . . . . . . ¥ Parc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¦ Vertical Detroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . § Savannah Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . © Leila . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ª Penny Red’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . « Pegasus Taverna . . . . . . . . . . . . ¬ Table n°2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . � Buddy’s Pizza . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ® Mootz Pizzeria + Bar . . . . . . . . ¯ Alpino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . À Nemo's Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ! WHERE TO DRINK Astoria Pastry Shop . . . . . . . . . ¡ Roasting Plant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¢ Cannelle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £

Detroit Water Ice Factory . . . . ¤ Bad Luck Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¥ Jacoby’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¦ The Brakeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § SPKRBOX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¨ Grand Trunk Pub . . . . . . . . . . . © Folk Detroit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ´ Batch Brewing Company . . . . ¸ Tin Roof . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Â Used and Rare Books . . . . . . ¡ Detroit vs Everybody . . . . . . . ¢ The Lip Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £ Rebell Nell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¤ NIGHTLIFE Cafe D’Mongos Speakeasy . . ¡ Deluxx Fluxx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¢ Aretha’s Jazz Café . . . . . . . . . . . £ SHOPPING John K . King

The Fillmore Detroit . . . . . . . . ¤ Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts . . . . ¥ FoxTheatre................. ¦ Cliff Bell’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . § Hollywood Casino Hotel . . . . ¨ Saint Andrews Hall . . . . . . . . . © WHERE TO STAY Shinola Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¡ Roost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¢ Cambria Downtown . . . . . . . . £ Hotel David Whitney . . . . . . . . ¤ The Siren Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . ¥ Detroit Foundation Hotel . . . ¦ Detroit Marriott at The Renaissance Center . . . § Element Detroit at The Metropolitan . . . . . . . ¨ The Atheneum Suite Hotel . . © The Godfrey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ª

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walkways, the ensemble appears somewhat complex at first sight. Visitors can navigate between the different towers thanks to a color code, while the People Mover station, opened in 2018, provides efficient access. Since GM announced in 2024 that it would move its offices and showroom to the Hudson department store building on Woodward Avenue ( T p. 24) within a year, what comes next is anyone's bet. Just what will the future hold for the RenCen? Riverwalk a EH7-8 In front of the buildings, the banks of the Detroit River are laid out as a promenade, granting views of Canada and the city of Windsor (Ontario), set out on the opposite bank. Reserved for pedestrians and

an excellent vantage point of the urban layout. With its unmistakable profile on the skyline, this set of seven Brutalist-style skyscrapers—including Michigan’s tallest tower (73 floors, 221.5 m)— was built in several phases in the 1970s. After the 1967 Detroit riot, it symbolized the rebirth of the city in the eyes of its developers, including Henry Ford II. Alas, with the dwindling population, the city within a city did not go to plan, and in 1996 General Motors bought the buildings before setting up its headquarters there a few years later. Since the ambitious renovation, RenCen has hosted the GM offices and showroom, a hotel ( T Addresses ), shops, restaurants, and the offices of myriad companies, where around 5,000 employees work. With its different levels and connecting

A Church for Sailors Tucked between RenCen and Hart Plaza, Mariners' Church is the oldest stone church in the city (1849). Originally built in wood (1842), it first stood at the bottom of Woodward Ave, in a docks and warehouse district, and met the needs of the congregation, which grew apace with the river traffic, fueled by the Erie Canal. In 1955, the Gothic Revival-style building, which had to be demolished to make room for the new Civic Center, was ultimately rescued and moved thanks to a subscription. In the meantime, the Anglican church obtained a bell tower and recognition of its role in the Underground Railroad ( T p. 45) when workers discovered an underground passage during the work. 170 E. Jefferson Ave - t 313 259 2206 - marinerschurchofdetroit.org - Sunday services 8:30am and 11am.