Roosevelt Park Unification Project

[Lowell]

Roosevelt Park in front of the Ford's renovating Michigan Central Depot site will be made a unified park by removing the portion of Vernor Hwy. that cuts diagonally across it. Like the idea?

Plans are being made for improving the Vernor viaduct was well. The entire project should be sensational once completed.
https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com?publ...148cb1_1345efb

[DetBill]

Very exciting project, really looking forward to its completion. What in the world are the "ruin porn" promoters who come in to "capture" Detroit going to do. This was there prime cover pic usually. Its funny, a couple of them on you tube still use old pix of the terminal to start off with currently done videos. I went to a exhibit a couple of years back at the Akron Ohio art museum displayed by a local of theirs on what Detroit looks like. It was nothing but "ruin Porn".
When I wrote their curator as to why they did not show any of the nicer areas, the exhibitor actually responded and said " we didn't have enough time to look at anything else" . I invited him back for another more thorough tour, he never responded....

[expatriate]

Terrific idea. Perhaps a tree lined pedestrian avenue that would showcase the terminal.

Looking at the photo I wonder if the 3 pink color paths behind the terminal were passenger platforms back in the day, and if those tracks have been torn up.

[401don]

Terrific idea. Perhaps a tree lined pedestrian avenue that would showcase the terminal.

Looking at the photo I wonder if the 3 pink color paths behind the terminal were passenger platforms back in the day, and if those tracks have been torn up.

A tree lined path with nice paving stones from Mich. Ave. to the front entrance would be great.

[EastsideAl]

I'm not necessarily against the idea, but it is interesting that a "unification" of this park [[which was never "unified" in this way in the first place) would revolve around removing the central feature of its original design, which was the broad Parisian-style boulevard leading up to and framing the view of the station.

[masterblaster]

I'm not necessarily against the idea, but it is interesting that a "unification" of this park [[which was never "unified" in this way in the first place) would revolve around removing the central feature of its original design, which was the broad Parisian-style boulevard leading up to and framing the view of the station.

The broad Parisian-style boulevard through the park was aesthetically pleasing, but it cut up the park into 3 separate parts. If you are trying to create a large grand public space designed for pedestrians and leisure and that's functional, this is the right thing to do. The re-design of this 13-acre park prioritizes people actually patronizing the park as opposed to people driving through the park.

[Gistok]

Vernor's Hwy. thru the park was what connected Corktown with Mexicantown. If not thru the park, then Vernor's Hwy. should be along its' perimeter so that the connectivity to the Mexicantown business district is not disrupted.

[EastsideAl]

Vernor's Hwy. thru the park was what connected Corktown with Mexicantown. If not thru the park, then Vernor's Hwy. should be along its' perimeter so that the connectivity to the Mexicantown business district is not disrupted.

Exactly. That piece of Vernor Hwy. through the park area leading up to the station and then going under the tracks was purposefully built back when Vernor was cobbled together out of existing streets. It was designed to directly connect the High St. [[now Fisher Fwy./I-75) portion coming across north of downtown, and Michigan Ave. coming out of downtown, with the Dix Rd. thoroughfare [[now W. Vernor) that went all the way across the lower west side. Thus businesses and neighborhoods on the W. Vernor and Bagley [[then Baker) corridors were linked directly with downtown and points north and east.

I must've gone through there hundreds of times over the years on my way to Mexicantown, as have many many others. That area will suffer under this plan unless some sort of direct traffic link is preserved from Michigan around the park and under the tracks.

[bust]

The broad Parisian-style boulevard through the park was aesthetically pleasing, but it cut up the park into 3 separate parts. If you are trying to create a large grand public space designed for pedestrians and leisure and that's functional, this is the right thing to do. The re-design of this 13-acre park prioritizes people actually patronizing the park as opposed to people driving through the park.

Here hear.
So much better to replace the roads with walking paths.

[bust]

Mexicantown is among the most vibrant restaurant districts in Detroit.
Would its future be better served made more pedestrian-friendly, or so easily accessible by car?
How much harder, what's at stake to drive an extra minute?
How much harder, what's at stake to dodge cars?

[EastsideAl]

The broad Parisian-style boulevard through the park was aesthetically pleasing, but it cut up the park into 3 separate parts. If you are trying to create a large grand public space designed for pedestrians and leisure and that's functional, this is the right thing to do. The re-design of this 13-acre park prioritizes people actually patronizing the park as opposed to people driving through the park.

Again though, that park was designed to have separate parts and was not intended to be a "grand public space", except as a sort of forecourt and visually impressive access way for the station, linking it to Michigan Ave. Much like the park, plaza, large semi-circular roadway and visual space leading into Daniel Burnham's Union Station in Washington.

As I said, I am not necessarily against a plan to turn that stretch of Vernor into a pedestrian walkway [[although, as I stated above, I hope some other way is cleared for traffic moving westbound onto Vernor). But I would certainly hope any plan to do that would preserve and respect Warren & Wetmore's and Reed & Stem's vision of a direct open visual vista leading to their station.

[bust]

Wouldn't the pace and tranquility of walking create a much fuller and safer vista than driving at least five times faster, at least 100 times the momentum?
Distracted by the vista, bumping into a fellow pedestrian isn't the same as driving over one, or two.

[masterblaster]

Again though, that park was designed to have separate parts and was not intended to be a "grand public space", except as a sort of forecourt and visually impressive access way for the station, linking it to Michigan Ave. Much like the park, plaza, large semi-circular roadway and visual space leading into Daniel Burnham's Union Station in Washington.

As I said, I am not necessarily against a plan to turn that stretch of Vernor into a pedestrian walkway [[although, as I stated above, I hope some other way is cleared for traffic moving westbound onto Vernor). But I would certainly hope any plan to do that would preserve and respect Warren & Wetmore's and Reed & Stem's vision of a direct open visual vista leading to their station.

https://www.dbusiness.com/daily-news...ntral-station/

According to the above article:

The unification will require the rerouting of Vernor Highway, including permanently closing the section that splits the park. The new section redesignated as Vernor Highway will be 16th Street from Michigan Avenue to Vernor.

As part of the road infrastructure improvements, Ford will rebuild the Vernor viaduct just west of the train station, which will result in temporary road closures through October 15. The city states the goal of these projects is to improve both locations to make them assets for the community.

[Gistok]

Good move on the re-connecting of Vernor's Hwy via 16th St. Not only does it maintain easy access between Corktown and Mexicantown, but it also makes for a convenient route for the thousands of new campus workers who may want to visit Mexicantown for lunch. It's a win-win for everyone.

[Lowell]

The best thing for Mexicantown will be a vibrant MCD regardless of how vehicular traffic is routed. Large numbers of visitors and employees will be in the area, new housing is certain to follow. What's really needed is the development of the scary area immediately behind the station and connecting it to the near Mexican Village Restaurant area on Bagley two blocks away.

It appears that making the viaduct underpass a pleasant pedestrian easement is part of the plans and that would help. I am sure speculators and developers are all over that area with the certain demand for nearby housing for the incoming workers of the Ford campus, as evidenced by the 2019 flipping of the building on 18th.

[Meddle]

I thought this plan looked familiar. See posts 2 and 3 in this thread from '17:

https://www.detroityes.com/mb/showth...y-Stakeholders

[casscorridor]

Again though, that park was designed to have separate parts and was not intended to be a "grand public space", except as a sort of forecourt and visually impressive access way for the station, linking it to Michigan Ave. Much like the park, plaza, large semi-circular roadway and visual space leading into Daniel Burnham's Union Station in Washington.

As I said, I am not necessarily against a plan to turn that stretch of Vernor into a pedestrian walkway [[although, as I stated above, I hope some other way is cleared for traffic moving westbound onto Vernor). But I would certainly hope any plan to do that would preserve and respect Warren & Wetmore's and Reed & Stem's vision of a direct open visual vista leading to their station.

Who cares what the original vision was? The reconstructed park will be better than anything that came before, with far greater benefits to the residents of the local area.

[Meddle]

Though I would make one change to my original plan in the other thread that seems to have been adopted by this committee {can I claim royalties?}, at least in part.

Leave the old street paved ... maybe with cobble stones to give it character and use it as a pedestrian mall or bazaar, maybe for festivals.

[Gistok]

Who cares what the original vision was? The reconstructed park will be better than anything that came before, with far greater benefits to the residents of the local area.

Just because you don't doesn't mean that Ford and others don't. I think the best way is to keep the central [soon to be former] boulevard area free of trees, and to at least maintain the original vista. Maybe they could plant an avenue of trees along the sides of the vista, like the trees lining the lawn approach to Biltmore Estate or the trees lining the lawn approach from the Mississippi River to Oak Alley Plantation in Louisiana. It could be functional and dramatic.

To just have a random jumble of trees blocking the view of the station from Michigan Ave. would be a travesty.

[Meddle]

Copying from the old 2017 thread:

[Gistok]

Copying from the old 2017 thread:

That seems like a plan... although the roadway running along the front of the station should be connected to this new route... for fire services purposes, as well as other functionality.

[Meddle]

Picture isn't from the same angle. Access road could be provided, but gated/closed to the public.

[EastsideAl]

Who cares what the original vision was?

Anyone who cares about our city's historical architecture and built environment. Far too much of which we've already trashed in the name of expediency or very dubious "improvement".

[bust]

I suppose the original plan was to prioritize the view for those wealthy enough to possess the ultimate high tech status item of the day: a car. Maybe also the horse and buggy folks too. Wealthy people, either way.

These days the vista could be served much better by a pedestrian promenade in a lively park undivided by a road. The architects might agree: cars are so pedestrian now.

As others have pointed out, and the plan entails, the connection between Michigan and Vernor can easily be preserved without bisecting the park. And the more lively the neighborhood the better for Mexicantown and everyone else around there.

Ford's plan for MCS is one of the most important recent developments in Detroit. May they see it through [and let it include a train to Windsor].

Win-win, at least two.

[casscorridor]

Preserving a vista makes sense, but preserving the boulevard that splits the park in two for the sake of some "original vision" does not. I'd argue that a unified park with a vista would be far more striking and beautiful than what is currently there.

Regardless, Ford has to be commended for what many on this forum thought was impossible - finally restoring the depot, the iconic symbol of Detroit's decay. The regeneration of the surrounding area, including the park, is the icing on the cake.