By Rod Arroyo, FAICP Between 1917 and 1928, Detroit transformed into a movie lover's paradise. The Grand Circus Park Theater District became a dazzling entertainment hub that captured the city's…
Early Skyscrapers in Detroit: The Alphabet Buildings By Rod Arroyo, FAICP Detroit has one of the finest collections of early skyscrapers from the early 1900s. I have always been fascinated…
Detroit's Black Hospitals By Rod Arroyo, FAICP In order to tell the story of Black hospitals in Detroit, I start with a brief history of early hospitals in Detroit, including…
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP The lower Paradise Valley area, north of Gratiot and south of I-75, was an entertainment and business hub with a concentration of Black-owned businesses and jazz…
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP In the early 1950s, Detroit’s population reached its all-time high of over 1.8 million people, and Black-owned businesses thrived. The Booker T. Washington Trade Association, an…
Milwaukee Junction was the heart of early automotive manufacturing in the U.S. Others refer to this area as the cradle of Detroit's auto industry. The area was named for the…
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP As part of my ongoing research of Detroit's Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, both areas severely impacted by freeway construction and urban renewal, I have been…
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP How many people lived in Detroit's Black Bottom? When I first started researching Paradise Valley and Black Bottom, I wanted to know basic facts, including population…
By Rod Arroyo, FAICP Northern states, territories, and Canada have a deep history of slavery. Early French settlers were enslavers. Slavery was considered legal in New York as early as…
Detroit saxophonist Dave McMurray and his band performed at the Dirty Dog Jazz Cafe in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan in late August 2022. Dave brought the talented band from his…