Why "Sugar Hill" arts district?

[tkelly1986]

I'm curious what the origin of "Sugar Hill" is for a relativity flat neighborhood. The same can be said for Murray Hill. Is this a scenario where these were elevated parts of the city, or hilly areas, but then flattened for fill dirt, as the city filled in the low lying areas on the east side?

[archfan]

An Hour Detroit article [[http://www.hourdetroit.com/Hour-Detr...10/Sweet-Spot/) mentions the area had many jazz clubs where whites and blacks could interact. Detroit 1701 [[http://detroit1701.org/Sugar%20Hill%...0District.html) suggests the name came from the Sugar Hill district in Harlem, which also featured jazz clubs and black/white interaction.

I can't find a link, but I could swear I read a suggestion that it was named after a gang that grew up there, and were based out of the hotel/motel Holiday Inn.

[p69rrh51]

This final report has a little history of the area.

http://www.detroitmi.gov/LinkClick.a...%3d&portalid=0

[EastsideAl]

It was called Sugar Hill because it was once the wealthiest part of black Detroit. Thus, comparable to the much better known [[and actually hilly) Sugar Hill section of Harlem.

[Lowell]

Crain's has an interesting article on bids to develop plots in the Sugar Hill district as well as the former Wigle recreation center land.

http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-redevelopment