Woodward Avenue, Detroit's "Scenic Byway"

Woodward Avenue is the main street through Detroit, running northwest from downtown out past 8 Mile Road, the boundary between Detroit and its Oakland country suburbs. In 2002, Woodward Avenue was named one of America's "Scenic Byways" by the Federal Highway Administration. This designation reflects the many historic buildings along Woodward Avenue.

by

Theresa Welsh

Apartments

Vacant Lots - Abandoned Homes

There are many vacant, weed-filled lots along Woodward Avenue where there used to be commercial buildings. Along the side streets are more empty lots and abandoned houses.

Highland Park

Commercial buildings on side streets off Woodward are often in ruins, as are homes on these streets.

Highland Park is the home of the original Henry Ford Model T factory and office building. The historic buildings now sit next to the "Model T Plaza," a commercial strip along Woodward Avenue.

That's Henry Ford's historic office building, no longer in use; there is a historical marker in front of it facing Woodward Avenue. In the factory behind the office building, workers built the Model T on a moving assembly line.

These former YMCA and YWCA buildings on Woodward are now operated by the Detroit Rescue Mission.

That's me going into the abandoned Highland Park City Hall. The interior was once very attractive, with a winding staircase. Outside, weeds choke the former parking lot.

Highland Park once had an impressive, large police station in a City Center collection of municipal buildings. Its former elegance is visible here through the weeds. The city was without any police department for a number of years, patrolled only by Wayne County deputies because the city had no money. But now they have a small police force, with headquarters in a strip mall on Woodward.

Woodward Avenue is indeed a scenic byway, with 300 years of history along its curbs.
But it's gone from boom years to bust years, and the scars of poverty and abandonment
are everywhere you look.

There are many more historic sights along Woodward and on the streets just off it. Not all of it is devastated. As you drive through the midtown area south of Grand Boulevard, you see considerable redevelopment. Many old buildings have been renovated and turned into urban housing; storefronts are filled with stores and restaurants. Detroit's comeback begins here, along historic Woodward Avenue.

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