Comerica Park and Paradise Valley – Looking Back During the Week of Opening Day by Rod Arroyo, FAICP
Thousands will gather in downtown Detroit for the annual rite of Spring: Opening Day for the Detroit Tigers. Fans will fill the stadium, local bars and restaurants, and nearby surface parking lots. As part of my ongoing research into Detroit’s Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, I want to share some information and stories about historical structures in and around Comerica Park that are no longer there.
Approximately one-half of the Comerica Park site and all of Ford Field are located in the historic Paradise Valley neighborhood. John R is the west boundary for this neighborhood. The graphic below shows Paradise Valley in a faded purplish-pink color.
The majority of the Comerica Park infield is within Paradise Valley. The base map of this graphic is a 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance map that I stitched together from multiple files. It provides some details about each individual structure.
Most of the buildings noted below west of John R were removed for the construction of Comerica Park. The Gem Theater was moved to Madison Street. Detroit’s urban renewal and freeway construction projects of the 1950s—early 1970s negatively impacted most of the Black-owned businesses in Paradise Valley, including those shown below. In 1952, the Booker T. Washington Trade Association claimed that Detroit had more Black-owned businesses than any city in the country.
Higher resolution version Link
Notable Buildings west of John R. Between John R and Woodward, west of Paradise Valley, there were several notable buildings including the following:
Downtown YMCA, 2020 Witherell Street (corner of Witherell and Adams). This building, designed by Donaldson and Meier, opened in 1909, closed in 1997, and was demolished shortly after as part of the Comerica Park project. At this site is now the Rocket Mortgage entry to Comerica Park.
During segregation, this was the “White” downtown YMCA. A separate YMCA for African Americans was located a few blocks east near St. Antoine and E. Elizabeth, as was a separate YWCA. Both were on this site, which is now occupied by Ford Field and its adjacent parking structure (see map below).
Hotel Wolverine, 53-65 E. Elizabeth (corner of E. Elizabeth and Witherell). In the postcard above, you can also see the 17-story Hotel Wolverine, designed by L.P. Rowe, just down Witherell from the Downtown YMCA. It opened in 1921, closed in 1985, and was demolished in 1997. This site is now a surface parking lot for Comerica Park.
YWCA Central Branch, 2230 Witherell Street (corner of Montcalm and Witherell). In the postcard below, the Albert Kahn-designed YWCA is depicted. It opened in 1929, closed in 1989, and was demolished in 1998. This site is where “The D Shop” apparel store and Tigers carousel ride are located. This building is shown in the postcard to the right of the one showing the Hotel Wolverine and Downtown YMCA.
Detroit College of Law, 130 E. Elizabeth (just east of the Downtown YMCA). This building, designed by George D. Mason, opened in 1937, closed in 1995, and was demolished in 1997. Detroit College of Law (DCL) was founded in 1891 as the second law school in the state (the other at the University of Michigan). In 1913, the DCL moved to the YMCA building, and then later moved to its own building at 130 E. Elizabeth. Constructed in an Art Deco style from Indiana limestone with bronze and aluminum trim, decorated with bas relief sculptures by Corrado Parducci of ancestors of law — King Hammurabi, Moses, Emperor Justinian, King John.” (https://littledetroithistoryletter.substack.com/p/the-ballad-of-the-detroit-college). It relocated to East Lansing in 1997 and is now part of Michigan State University. Some of Parducci’s work was salvaged and relocated to East Lansing. Photo: https://bit.ly/DCL-photo. This site is approximately where the Tiger’s Party Decks are located, overlooking right field and the first base line.
Detroit Institute of Technology, 156 E. Elizabeth (next to Detroit College of Law). The Detroit Institute of Technology grew out of an evening school program established by the YMCA and it opened its own building just down the street. Famous jazz drummer Roy Brooks attended here for three semesters before taking on jazz as a full-time career (Metro Times 12-12-2001). The building was demolished in the late 1990s. This site is currently part of right field and the right field stands at Comerica Park.
Gem Theater, 56-58 E. Columbia (later moved to 333 Madison Street. Designed by Mason & Rahn, this theater opened as a place to screen international films, and over the years, it changed names but often returned to the theme of European films and art films. The “Little Theater” was moved over the course of six months (1997-98) to its current location on Madison Street. It made the Guinness Book of World Records as the heaviest building ever moved (5 million pounds). Photo of move: https://bit.ly/Gem-Detroit-Move.
Black-owned Businesses – East of the above business, on the other side of John R, was the Paradise Valley neighborhood. In the 1950s, there were over 300 Black-owned businesses in Paradise Valley. Within the Comerica Park site, there were at least 14 Black-owned businesses (show with purple outline on map), including the following:
Hotel Fairbairn, 250 E. Columbia – Opened in 1924 and designed by Percival Perreira, this 8-story, 450-room structure was a “stag hotel” for single Black men. It operated as the Columbia Medical Hospital from 1960 to 1980, and it was demolished in 1983. Today, this site is where the stands are located along the 3rd base line of Comerica Park.
As more information becomes available for these Black-owned businesses below, I will update this post.
Allen Printing, 2110 John R. This business was located in what is now Comerica Park’s outfield (center field), next to Elizabeth’s Cleaners.
Elizabeth Cleaners, 2116 John R. Next to where the pitcher’s mound for Comerica Park is today, there was Elizabeth’s Cleaners.
Mapp’s Bar, 286 E. Columbia, located at the corner of E. Columbia and Brush.
J. White’s Gas Service, 2101 Brush
Barber’s Guild, No 844, 2211 Brush
Nixon Grill, 2319 Brush
Vernor Beauty Shoppe, 2329 Brush
Lee Crews Barber Shop, 2333 Brush
Vernor Hotel, 290 E. Vernor
L. C. Clark Hauling, 260 E. Vernor
Sams’ Garage, 250 E. Vernor
Garvin Motor Sales, 222 E. Vernor
Modernistic Cleaners, 2321 John R
In addition to the 14 Black-owned businesses noted above, there were 56 Black-owned businesses on the site currently occupied by Ford Field and Ford Field parking.
Additional postcards:
So, if you have ever wondered, “What businesses were on the Comerica Park site before it was home to the Detroit Tigers?” now you have some insight.