grand circus park in its prime

[Gistok]

Besides residences in the GCP area, there were also churches. The United Artists Building/Theatre was built [[1927/1928) on the site of a church, which was razed, and the church owners collected a hefty fee and built elsewhere.

It's almost surprising that some of the churches, such as Central Methodist and St. John on Woodward Ave., even survived the 1900-1920 civic growth.

[old guy]

I've always wondered how GCP got its name. I'm sure there's an obvious reason, but it's always sounded strange to me.

[casscorridor]

I've always wondered how GCP got its name. I'm sure there's an obvious reason, but it's always sounded strange to me.

Grand Circus Park is named so because in Woodward's city plan, the park was a full circle [["circus" in Latin). So it would have been a true Grand Circus Park, had the full plan materialized. Today it's a still Grand but only Half-Circus park. Oh well.

[dtowncitylover]

Grand Circus Park is named so because in Woodward's city plan, the park was a full circle [["circus" in Latin). So it would have been a true Grand Circus Park, had the full plan materialized. Today it's a still Grand but only Half-Circus park. Oh well.

Grand Semicircus Park...I guess.

[gnome]

I believe the reason GCP is a semi-circle is because John R. Williams owned the land north of Adams and refused to sell. Mr. Williams eventually became Mayor and had the street John R named after himself. He also named Elizabeth st after his daughter.

for those who don't know, the Elwood Bar got its name from being on the northeast corner of Elizabeth and WOODward Ave.

[downtownguy]

Sometimes they went for planned projects, but many were also torn down on speculation to clear parcels for potential development to come.

Brock7 - Great panoramas. Thanks for posting!

AuburnSpeedster - You're right about the transition from houses to parking. Same goes for the lot diagonally across from it [[and in front of the YMCA.) Appears that once the houses were cleared, the depression was the culprit that kept any additional development on those lots.

EastsideAl - Regarding your remark above, do you suppose George Jackson's great grandfather ran the DEGC back then?

[downtownguy]

Yeah, CrashDummy, I wasn't knocking the park. I was mostly trying to say that as the neighborhood finishes filling in, it will be a place for a lot of people to congregate, which I don't think it is right now.

This reminds me of a comment a man said to me when I ran a business on Woodward in the 80s. He said it's a shame that people don't walk the streets in downtown Detroit like they do in Chicago. I asked him if he thought we should import Chicago residents to walk our streets. Until we -- Detroiters --walk our streets [[or our parks) we will not get the urban ambiance we desire.

I don't know if there are more panhandlers in GCP than there are in Greektown. But if you're the only one walking through -- as Gistok points out -- it will seem as though they are all there to hassle you. The more people that utilize the park, the less the panhandlers will stand out.

Next time, instead of going down Woodward, I suggest anybody take the path through the east or west side of GCP. My favorite is the west side, and when facing north and looking up through the trees towards the street wall along Adams, you might just for a moment think you're in a real city.

[downtownguy]

Thanks for the link to the Flickr images, Gistok. Many people know about the remnants of the Michigan Theatre within the Michigan Building, but I have never heard that parts of the Oriental Theatre still existed.

[Brock7]

Maybe this was taken later on the same day as the photo in the first post.

http://multimedia.detnews.com/pix/ph...1/index18.html
"An aerial image of Grand Circus Park in the city of Detroit by news photographer William A. Kuenzel from the Detroit News Airplane on Oct. 2, 1933."

[Mind field]

It's great watching Grand Circus revitalize and transform into somewhat of a residential hub. I wonder what the parks low point was, before any of the current development was there to breath new life into the park? Sometime in the early to mid nineties? Hopefully the city will hold out for development that respects the parks historic architecture on the few lots surrounding the park that have yet to be developed.

[DetroitPlanner]

It's great watching Grand Circus revitalize and transform into somewhat of a residential hub. I wonder what the parks low point was, before any of the current development was there to breath new life into the park? Sometime in the early to mid nineties? Hopefully the city will hold out for development that respects the parks historic architecture on the few lots surrounding the park that have yet to be developed.

That is easy. It Started with the closing of the Tuller and the Statler in the early 80's and ended about the time the Kales opened in the late 1990's? [[maybe early 2000's?)

During that time period buildings like the Adams, and Whitney emptied out.

[Khorasaurus]

That is easy. It Started with the closing of the Tuller and the Statler in the early 80's and ended about the time the Kales opened in the late 1990's? [[maybe early 2000's?)

During that time period buildings like the Adams, and Whitney emptied out.

Building on that, going clockwise:

Central United Methodist Church: Always been there.

Cheli's Chili: Vacant from ?? until Cheli's moved in in the early 2000s.

Comerica Park: Replaced vacant YMCA in 1999.

Parking lot: Nearing its 100th anniversary.

Opera House: Grand Circus Theater, then vacant, then the Opera House starting in 1996

M@dison: Not sure of pre-Gilbert history. Was it ever fully vacant?

Broderick: Vacant 1980s - 2012.

Whitney: Vacant 2000 - 2014.

Statler: Vacant starting in 1975, demolished in 2005.

Tuller: Vacant starting in 1976, demolished in 1992.

Park Apartments: Occupied but low end until 2013. No one has any clue what's going on now.

Park Avenue Building: Vacant since ??? [[presumably 1980s at least)

Kales: Vacant 1986-2000

Fine Arts: Vacant since 1989, torn down except for facade in 2009.

Grand Park Center: Never vacant? Updated in 2000.

Retail: Probably vacant in 1990s, currently occupied with RUB, etc.

Fyfe: Vacant in 1990s? Now apartments.

Based on that, I'd say the late 90s, pre-Comerica Park, was the low point. The Statler, Broderick, Kales, Fyfe, YMCA, and Cheli's were all vacant, the Tuller was gone, the Whitney was dying, and Grand Park Center was [[presumably) outdated.

As with most of downtown, we have a long way to go. But we've come a long way.

[DetroitPlanner]

I knew folks living in Fyfe in 1991. At that time the Shoe Store was no longer Fyfe's. It was Sibleys. Sibleys had several locations downtown at the time.

[downtownguy]

Cheli's Chili: Vacant from ?? until Cheli's moved in in the early 2000s.
The Detroit Council for the Arts occupied the ground floor in the 80s and into the 90s. United Community Housing Coalition had office space above. Then there was the thrift shop and Swords Into Plowshares Gallery that occupied the retail portion of Central United Methodist Church to the west.

Comerica Park: Replaced vacant YMCA in 1999.
My memory's fuzzy, but I think the YMCA was active in that location through much of the 90s.

M@dison: Not sure of pre-Gilbert history. Was it ever fully vacant?
Vacant most of the 90s. A deli occupied the ground floor in the 80s.

Broderick: Vacant 1980s - 2012.
Depends. Flaming Embers was active most of the 80s and probably most of the 90s. Comerica Park's opening brought some bar that never really caught on. And I was told the antennas on top of the building provided a steady stream of income even when the offices were empty.

Grand Park Center: Never vacant? Updated in 2000.
Retail: Probably vacant in 1990s, currently occupied with RUB, etc.
Never vacant. Michigan Mutual and successor company occupied it during the 80s and 90s [[?). Girl Scouts also had their offices there. As for retail, Michigan National Bank and it's successors had the ground floor. Going east, which is what I think you refer to as retail was actively used for storage as I recall.

Fyfe: Vacant in 1990s? Now apartments.
So far as I know, the apartments go back pre-80s.

[Khorasaurus]

Fyfe: Vacant in 1990s? Now apartments.
So far as I know, the apartments go back pre-80s.

Thanks for the info. I knew the Fyfe was in some danger of being torn down when Comerica was built. I figured it must have been vacant at that time.

Now I'm just dumbfounded that Ilitch and Company wanted to demolish an occupied and beautiful building, right on Woodward and right on the park. What the hell??

[Gistok]

Thanks for the info. I knew the Fyfe was in some danger of being torn down when Comerica was built. I figured it must have been vacant at that time.

Now I'm just dumbfounded that Ilitch and Company wanted to demolish an occupied and beautiful building, right on Woodward and right on the park. What the hell??

Khorasaurus... that's because we're not blessed with the appreciation of how nice decorative sidewalks can enhance an area....

[downtownguy]

Now I'm just dumbfounded that Ilitch and Company wanted to demolish an occupied and beautiful building, right on Woodward and right on the park. What the hell??

Status quo.

[Brock7]

http://detroithistoricalsociety.tumb...-taken-in-1926

Aerial photo of Grand Circus Park taken in 1926

[southofbloor]

Baist's 1896 map of Grand Circus region:

[southofbloor]

Baist's 1918 [[I think) of west half.

[Khorasaurus]

Baist's 1918 [[I think) of west half.

"Times Square" was called "West Park" back then? When did the name change?

[EastsideAl]

"Times Square" was called "West Park" back then? When did the name change?

After the Detroit Times moved there in 1929.

http://historicdetroit.org/building/...imes-building/

[animatedmartian]

Even if the full Woodward plan wasn't implemented, that still looks like a beautiful and unique layout. If it was a traditional grid, I'd imagine this part of Downtown would be entirely less interesting.

[Khorasaurus]

After the Detroit Times moved there in 1929.

http://historicdetroit.org/building/...imes-building/

Another building that, had it survived, would have been ripe for renovation into apartments today.

Although I doubt anything would have happened to it between 1975 and now, so it probably would have deteriorated badly and been demolished for the Super Bowl [[if not earlier) even if it had last pasted 1978.

[SpartanDawg]

if anyones still interested. haven't seen this angle


edit: also this one is just too cool not to share