Woodward Gardens Apartment and Theater Project Soars in Midtown [Pics]

[Django]

Fuck a Midtown, it's the Corridor to me and always will be.

[Zacha341]

^^^ Hah! Yeah, well whatever you want to call it, IT'S an improving, evolving area!

I'm glad to live not too far as it helps improve my quality of life in Detroit as well.

[Gistok]

Fuck a Midtown, it's the Corridor to me and always will be.

Why anone would name an entire huge section of the city after a small 2 lane roadway... when the city's main 7 lane thoroughfare is just a block away... would have to be stoned....

[Detroitnerd]

Why anone would name an entire huge section of the city after a small 2 lane roadway... when the city's main 7 lane thoroughfare is just a block away... would have to be stoned....

It's not named after the avenue, Gistok. The name comes from the large parcel of land between Third and Cass, north from Michigan avenue, an original ribbon farm owned by territorial governor and presidential candidate Lewis Cass. That parcel now comprises more than 50 city blocks.

Cass Corridor is an actual historical name that has boundaries and a certain character. It has a charm -- a grimy charm, I grant you -- and a storied history indeed.

Midtown was invented to supersede "Cass Corridor" because of the unfavorable connotations it had developed over the years. But what are the borders of Midtown? What is the historical underpinning of calling it Midtown? It's really just a marketing tool.

Somebody joked to me once: "Midtown? Oh, yeah, when something is developed, when somebody invests money, when anybody opens a business, then that, too, gets called Midtown. When somebody is killed or a building burns down, that is called Cass Corridor."

It has the ring of truth to it. We should be at least squeamish about adopting neighborhood names that aren't rooted in history and have no boundaries.

Look up "neighborhood names" and "gentrification" on Google and you'll turn up some other interesting discussions on the topic.

http://brooklynbased.net/email/2012/...-williamsburg/

Anyway, it's a lively debate -- one that's taking place not just here. Perhaps it deserves its own thread.

[MSUguy]

It's not named after the avenue, Gistok. The name comes from the large parcel of land between Third and Cass, north from Michigan avenue, an original ribbon farm owned by territorial governor and presidential candidate Lewis Cass. That parcel now comprises more than 50 city blocks.

Cass Corridor is an actual historical name that has boundaries and a certain character. It has a charm -- a grimy charm, I grant you -- and a storied history indeed.

Midtown was invented to supersede "Cass Corridor" because of the unfavorable connotations it had developed over the years. But what are the borders of Midtown? What is the historical underpinning of calling it Midtown? It's really just a marketing tool.

Somebody joked to me once: "Midtown? Oh, yeah, when something is developed, when somebody invests money, when anybody opens a business, then that, too, gets called Midtown. When somebody is killed or a building burns down, that is called Cass Corridor."

It has the ring of truth to it. We should be at least squeamish about adopting neighborhood names that aren't rooted in history and have no boundaries.

Look up "neighborhood names" and "gentrification" on Google and you'll turn up some other interesting discussions on the topic.

http://brooklynbased.net/email/2012/...-williamsburg/

Anyway, it's a lively debate -- one that's taking place not just here. Perhaps it deserves its own thread.

So East English Village isn't a real neighborhood? Because it's not rooted in history, it was created out of thin air by residents in the early 90's to give the neighborhood a brand so they could better market their homes. But nearly 25 years later no one thinks about that, in the minds of Detroiters it's no less legit than Corktown.

As Midtown's boundaries I've always seen it defined as everything bounded by 75, 94 and the Lodge.

[Detroitnerd]

So East English Village isn't a real neighborhood? Because it's not rooted in history, it was created out thin air by residents in the early 90's to give neighborhood a brand to they could better market their homes. But nearly 25 years later no one thinks about that, in the minds of Detroiters it's no less legit than Corktown.

As Midtown's boundaries I've always seen it defined as everything bounded by 75, 94 and the Lodge.

Like I said, it's a lively debate. Maybe it deserves its own thread.