Early Skyscrapers in Detroit: The Alphabet Buildings
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
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…
A Look Back at the Early Days of Georgia Tech and The Flats
A Look Back at the Early Days of Georgia Tech and The Flats, by Rod Arroyo, FAICP, Master of City Planning (1982) This post is a departure from my regular…
Jazz Clubs and Black-Owned Businesses in Detroit’s Lower Paradise Valley
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…
Detroit’s Black-Owned Businesses in 1952 – Map
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…
Manufacturing Plants in Detroit’s Milwaukee Junction – Map and Photos
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…
Freeway Impacts on Black Communities: The Story of Miami’s Overtown
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…
How many people lived in Detroit’s Black Bottom?
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…
Slavery in Detroit
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…
Dave McMurray and His Grateful Deadication Band
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…