Ave. of Fashion Rehab

[DinNC]

I saw this in Crain's Detroit. A little bit of investment outside the city core is always nice to see. I am to young to never have seen the Ave. of fashion in it's hey day. Was it just full of boutiques? What was it like and would you be able to compare it to something else? Have a good evening and I hope the link works.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nue-of-fashion

[mwilbert]

I saw this in Crain's Detroit. A little bit of investment outside the city core is always nice to see. I am to young to never have seen the Ave. of fashion in it's hey day. Was it just full of boutiques? What was it like and would you be able to compare it to something else? Have a good evening and I hope the link works.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nue-of-fashion

Two things. One, the article keeps saying that this strip is on Livernois, but it isn't really--that picture is the south side of Seven Mile just west of Livernois.

Second, there was a mixture of retail on Livernois; there were a lot of clothing stores, but there were a lot of other things too. I remember Cunningham/Revco drugs, Kresge's, Rainier bakery, banks, a few restaurants, office supplies, interior design places, shoe repair, big hardware store, a Grinnell's music store, Good Housekeeping store [[still there). I'm not really sure what I would compare it to; retail has changed a lot since then, so there probably aren't a lot a places with a really similar mix--there aren't stores like Kresge's anymore, for instance, and retail strips tend to be more restaurants and clothing, and services that didn't really exist back then, like yoga studios and chain coffee places. But it was a lot like any street that long with a lot of retail, except that many of the shops were relatively high-end. Also, there was never any residential on Livernois, whereas in a lot of cities there would have been residential either interspersed with or above the retail--almost all of that stretch of Livernois is one-story, so in that way it was more suburban feeling.

[Cincinnati_Kid]

Don't forget Himelhoch's and Hughes, Hatcher Suffrin, 2 high end stores.

[FormerDetroiter]

Here's an article about the Avenue of Fashion:

https://stylesource01.wordpress.com/...hatch-detroit/

[middetres]

The article cited the location of the development only once: SW corner of Livernois & 7 Mile. The photo is the 7 Mile side of that corner. Not sure how that is wrong. The development will wrap around the corner and will have both Livernois and 7 Mile frontage.

The addition of housing is a fantastic idea. More residents means more customers for all the neighborhood businesses. I don't think anyone envisions RO or B'ham-sized highrises, but 3-4 story buildings with ground-floor retail would do a lot to enhance the vitality of the area.

[mwilbert]

The article cited the location of the development only once: SW corner of Livernois & 7 Mile. The photo is the 7 Mile side of that corner. Not sure how that is wrong. The development will wrap around the corner and will have both Livernois and 7 Mile frontage.

Please look at the caption to the picture. It says "along Livernois Avenue at Seven Mile Road". The picture is not of buildings along Livernois Avenue at Seven Mile Road.

[Bham1982]

Also, there was never any residential on Livernois, whereas in a lot of cities there would have been residential either interspersed with or above the retail--almost all of that stretch of Livernois is one-story, so in that way it was more suburban feeling.

Which makes sense as the "Avenue of Fashion" was a function of the [[early) suburban era. It came too late to be an urban, mixed use corridor. It's closest analogue would be the auto-oriented but still pedestrian/bus friendly commercial corridors of the 1940's, like you see in the LA basin and the like. Kind of suburban-lite.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I hope his vision can be turned into reality. Nice to see that its being done by someone who lives in the area. Returning that block to viability would be a nice shot in the arm for the area. I find it interesting that he is thinking in terms of attracting UDM students.

[Hypestyles]

Shout out to Dixon's Barbershop.

[ptero]

Went to Hack Shoes in the Sixties many times for footwear. East side of Livernois north of Seven Mile iirc.

[middetres]

Matt Hessler paid $438,000 for this vacant retail strip along Livernois Avenue at Seven Mile Road in northwest Detroit

The vacant strip along Livernois wraps around to 7 Mile. The picture is of the 7 Mile side. You make it sound like it's blocks away from Livernois when it's part of the same connected stretch of buildings that also face Livernois. The road at the far left of the photo is Livernois. The caption is accurate as it shows the vacant buildings at Livernois and 7 Mile that he bought.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4315...7i13312!8i6656

[hybridy]

back in my undergrad udm days i always envisioned streetcars running along livernois connecting the university district to 8/9 mile and the avenue of fashion was full of restaurant/bars/stores with apts above catering to students and professors.

the city is angling to stabilize the fitzgerald, bagley & martin park neighborhoods to create enough critical mass with other viable NW neighborhoods to create what some have termed 'uptown'. its a good long term investment IMHO

[mwilbert]

Matt Hessler paid $438,000 for this vacant retail strip along Livernois Avenue at Seven Mile Road in northwest Detroit

The vacant strip along Livernois wraps around to 7 Mile. The picture is of the 7 Mile side. You make it sound like it's blocks away from Livernois when it's part of the same connected stretch of buildings that also face Livernois. The road at the far left of the photo is Livernois. The caption is accurate as it shows the vacant buildings at Livernois and 7 Mile that he bought.

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.4315...7i13312!8i6656

I don't know what to tell you. In my first post I said it was "just west of Livernois", which I don't think means blocks away. And the picture isn't a picture of buildings along Livernois, despite that being what the caption says. Those are buildings along Seven Mile. If he bought additional buildings facing Livernois [[besides the one at the corner) that isn't obvious to me. I would think that the strip along Seven Mile could be as much as 34,000 sq ft; I'm not really sure how big the old Siegel's building is. But even if he did buy some other buildings along Livernois, that isn't what the picture is of.

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

I don't know what to tell you. In my first post I said it was "just west of Livernois", which I don't think means blocks away. And the picture isn't a picture of buildings along Livernois, despite that being what the caption says. Those are buildings along Seven Mile. If he bought additional buildings facing Livernois [[besides the one at the corner) that isn't obvious to me. I would think that the strip along Seven Mile could be as much as 34,000 sq ft; I'm not really sure how big the old Siegel's building is. But even if he did buy some other buildings along Livernois, that isn't what the picture is of.

You are right. The caption said "Matt Hessler paid $438,000 for this vacant retail strip along Livernois Avenue at Seven Mile Road in northwest Detroit."

It clearly should have said "along Seven Mile Road at Livernois" as the picture was taken from Seven Mile Road.

In any case, its nice to reflect upon the fact that a few years ago nobody would have been buying that property.

[stasu1213]

Thank God for developers as Matt Hessler. He will bring life back to the strip and hopefully will have retail such as Urban Outfitters, Old Navy and others stores that would cater to the UofD students and retail that would bring iut the residents who luve un the surrounding communities. Starbucks is needed on the strip as well as a National or Leo Coney Island

[dtowncitylover]

Thank God for developers as Matt Hessler. He will bring life back to the strip and hopefully will have retail such as Urban Outfitters, Old Navy and others stores that would cater to the UofD students and retail that would bring iut the residents who luve un the surrounding communities. Starbucks is needed on the strip as well as a National or Leo Coney Island

Unless the majority of the 5000 UDM students live either on campus and/or in the neighborhood, I don't think so. UDM is still a commuter school protected by a fence, those students are still shopping at their local mall and happily so.

[mwilbert]

Unless the majority of the 5000 UDM students live either on campus and/or in the neighborhood, I don't think so. UDM is still a commuter school protected by a fence, those students are still shopping at their local mall and happily so.

My understanding is that there is housing for about 1000 resident undergrads on the McNichols campus. There are also some students who live off-campus nearby, but I don't know how many.

[hybridy]

My understanding is that there is housing for about 1000 resident undergrads on the McNichols campus. There are also some students who live off-campus nearby, but I don't know how many.

UDM enrollment - 5,000+ [[Law & Dental school located off campus)
UDM Dorm capacity - 940
UDM Room & Board - $16,000+ [[annual)

Marygrove enrollment - 2,700+
Marygrove Dorm capacity - ?
Marygrove Room & board - $16,000+ [[annual)

there's zero off campus housing south of 8 mile. if it's priced right, safe and offers secure parking...those units would be snapped up quickly

[stasu1213]

Unless the majority of the 5000 UDM students live either on campus and/or in the neighborhood, I don't think so. UDM is still a commuter school protected by a fence, those students are still shopping at their local mall and happily so.

I could see the Ave of Fashion being a place that those students will want to hang out as well just bring stores and shops such as coffee shops etc for they could come to. The Ave could be a place for everyone to shop, dine, and play. The DEGC had done a lousey job in bringing businesses to that strip. Middle to high end shops could line the ave as well as Tim Horton, Starbucks, Panera Bread and other shops that would draw out the residents who live in Sherwood Forest, Green Acres, Palmer Woods, and University District areas. . Also the gas station that sits on Livernois and 7 need to go for that place is crime ridden

[DetroiterOnTheWestCoast]

It has been two years in the making but this project is coming along. Breaking ground today.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...le-corridor-in

[stasu1213]

I am glad that work is finally being done to that building. I hope that this is the beginning of retail go8ng in a new direction for Livernois especially now that Cushingberry is out of the way. I would love to see a home goods store dealing with housewares to open somewhere on the strip. Better shops the sell quality items. An SEE optical and a Starbucks on that strip

[stingbeelee]

Wasn't there supposed to be a proposed apartment building going up at the old Detroit Bank and Trust about a block south of this apartment on Livernois and Clarita? And I think I read that a coffee shop is going to come a couple of blocks west of this on Seven Mile?

[3WC]

In the late '50s the Robin Hood served the best breakfasts in Detroit. Always busy with lots of U of D students. East side of Livernois, S. of 8 Mile.

[stingbeelee]

Hi 3WC, I don't remember the Robin Hood being on the east side of Livernois. I thought it was on the west side of the street near Chippewa, if memory serves me correctly.

[pkbroch]

Robinhood Grille was on the East side of Livernois South of Eight Mile.

I remember going there when we lived in Sherwood Forest. I remember three days after the riots it was open and there was a guardsman in combat gear sitting in the door drinking a coke. It only lasted a few years after the riots.