By Rod Arroyo, FAICP As the United States struggled to escape the Great Depression, it elected a new President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1932. In his acceptance speech for the…
When Bebop Came to Detroit: The Story of a Jazz Revolution, by Rod Arroyo, FAICP As World War II raged across the globe in the early 1940s, something also explosive—though…
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:…
Hotel Statler, Book-Cadillac, Lou Gehrig, and Veloz and Yolanda By Rod Arroyo, FAICP My research into Detroit's history has unveiled an interesting family connection. This is the story of two…
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…
A Look Back at the Early Days of Georgia Tech and The Flats, by Rod Arroyo, FAICP, Master of City Planning (1982) I am departing from my regular posts about…
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…