Quote Originally Posted by Detroitnerd View Post
It can get a little confusing. I've heard various parts of the near east side referred to as Black Bottom. But the tale goes that the near east side was called Black Bottom before any blacks lived there. It allegedly refers to the rich black soil of the east side.

Paradise Valley was the downtown area with fancy entertainment and classy clubs for Detroit's blacks. Hastings Street was the near east side neighborhood that stretched all the way uptown. It looked like 1870 along that street. If it had been preserved, it might look like the French Quarter today.

Of course, at the time, city planners had a "don't look back" attitude about the past. Clear it for freeway removal. Get rid of "blight."
These two videos talk more about it and the urban renewal project to build Lafayette Park. it mentions some of the clubs there including the one above in the previous post.

http://youtu.be/0XWSWcDCCLM

http://youtu.be/2YBa6duxxhk