Executive Committee Meeting 10-15-24

President's Report

Page 32 of 95

EXPLORE DETROIT

CORKTOWN & MEXICANTOWN

rail transport's biggest rival, that has made possible the building's rebirth,

Michigan Central aa C7 2001 15 th St - michigancentral.com. 1912-1913, Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stern. Arguably the most recognizable building in the city, Detroit's train station has long been the very symbol of the city’s decline. The structure was built in the Beaux Arts style by the architects of Grand Central Station in New York, to whom we owe its grandiose appearance. Competition with the motor car did not seem to worry anyone at the time. However, poorly served by urban transport and a source of eye-watering maintenance costs, the station slowly fell into disuse, with the exception of the Second World War period, when military traffic gave it renewed impetus. Despite hopes rekindled by public railway company Amtrak in 1971 when it took over the site's management, the station closed definitively in 1988. The abandoned building was vandalized, and its fading grandeur made it a popular subject for photography and art. The prospect of its demolition, once entertained, was shelved due to a lack of funds. Finally, in 2018, Ford acquired the station to establish an innovation and design center after a renovation to the tune of an estimated $950 million. Inaugurated in June 2024, this behemoth returned to life for the city, which also includes the Newlab in the neighboring building (1936, A. Kahn), is home to shops, restaurants, art galleries, offices, and coworking spaces. A veritable nod to history, since it is the automobile,

The Maker of Better Times Nothing predestined Gabriel Richard (1767–1832) for his exceptional career. Ordained a priest in 1791, the young man from Saintes in France rejected the Civil Constitution of the Clergy and fled the Reign of Terror. He arrived in the United States in 1792 and soon settled in Illinois, where he was tasked with evangelizing the indigenous population. His next mission took him to Detroit, as a priest in the parish of Saint Anne in 1802. A keen promoter of education, he founded a co-ed school for White and American Indian children, headed the city’s first print shop (1809), and co-founded the University of Michigan (1817). Elected representative of the Territory of Michigan in Congress (1823–1825), he launched the motion that would lead to the construction of a road between Detroit and Chicago (US 12). At once missionary, educator, and politician, he tirelessly fought against ignorance, poverty and sectarianism. Father Richard died while treating patients during a cholera epidemic. Detroit owes him a great deal, including his motto: Meliora speramus; cineribus resurget (“We hope for better times; they will be reborn from the ashes”), words he spoke in the wake of the Great Fire of 1805.

returning the favor if you will. Basilica of St. Anne a

C8 1000 Ste. Anne St - t 313 496 1701 - ste-anne.org - Tours by appointment via the website ($5, children $3) ( T Planning Your Trip, p. 116). Only two days after Cadillac arrived at the site of the future Detroit, on July 26, 1701, this church was founded in honor of Saint Anne, and is the only remaining physical relic from the city's former French presence. It was first erected in what is now Downtown (1 Griswold St) , and then rebuilt several times before being moved to its current location in 1886. In the Gothic Revival style, it has a harmonious interior designed to represent Heaven on Earth. Beneath its blue ceiling studded with golden stars, the church is a sanctuary for objects inherited from its previous iterations: the altar and altar rail, sculptures, including the Virgin Mary, various stained glass windows (the oldest in Michigan is one), and the Beaubien bell, gifted by one of Detroit's founding families. Fleurs-de-lis and the French names of the patrons on the stained glass windows are souvenirs of its French origins. In one of the chapels lies Father Gabriel Richard , a pivotal figure in the history of Detroit ( T see box, right page) . Near the statue of Saint Anne, patron saint of the sick and infirm, numerous objects (walking sticks and such) have been left by faithful congregants who attribute their healing to her intercession.

Activity is mostly concentrated along Bagley Street and Vernor Highway , where restaurants, bakeries, and grocery stores line up between murals depicting Frida Kahlo or skeletons from the Day of the Dead. All Saints’ Day and Cinco de Mayo (military victory in Mexico against the troops sent by Napoleon III) are the occasion for vibrant and colorful festivities.

As suggested by the Virgin of Guadeloupe statue, the church welcomes a majority Spanish speaking parishioners, a sign of the changing neighborhood, who bring their traditions, among which Living Stations of the Cross in the local streets at Easter, novenas (nine-day devotions), and quinceañeras (girls' 15th birthday celebrations). The church was elevated to the rank of minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020. MEXICANTOWN AB8 This district, with its slightly blurred borders with the west of Corktown, extends for a large part beyond the I-96 and I-75 highway interchanges. First Irish and then Polish, it has hosted a Mexican population since the 1920s. New waves of immigration swelled their ranks in the 1970s and 1980s, when the district was christened with its current name.

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