When Bebop Came to Detroit: The Story of a Jazz Revolution
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…
Detroit’s Cinematic Wonderland: A Story of Lights, Camera, and Action in Detroit’s Historic Grand Circus Park Theater District
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
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…
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…
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…
Book Tower Transformation in Detroit
The Book brothers, J. Burgess, Jr., Herbert, and Frank, grew up in downtown Detroit. They were members of one of the wealthiest families in Detroit. Eventually, they sought to rehabilitate…
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