Barry Gordy grew up in the historic black neighborhoods of Detroit on the near east side, Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. These neighborhoods were almost entirely demolished in urban renewal efforts back in the 1950s and 60s. They were replaced with many things, as Science Fair indicates above, including the Brewster projects, which many of the former neighborhood residents moved into.

Around this time African-American began to move into west side neighborhoods, including the area around the Hitsville Motown headquarters on W. Grand Blvd. The only significant remaining portion of the old black neighborhoods of Detroit is the Brush Park area west of the Chrysler Freeway [[which sits where the main street of black Detroit, Hastings St., once stood) and the Brewster projects. Unfortunately, this area of large historic homes was supposed to be redeveloped but instead has largely wasted away due to neglect, negligence, corruption, and open hostility on the part of local government to historic preservation.