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Home , Marshall Fredericks, Movie palace, One Woodward Avenue

This self-guided tour is a great intro to downtown! Be sure to join us on one of our public tours or contact us to a create a customized experience that fits your schedule.

DOWNTOWN DETROIT SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOUR D N O C E S

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At the Detroit Experience Factory we use interactive experiences and innovative resources to help newcomers and locals get more connected to the people, places and projects in Detroit. We operate Detroit’s community based Welcome Center and have taken over 90,000 people on experiential tours of Detroit since we opened in 2006.

detroitexperiencefactory.org 1 8 Greektown

Stand at: Point of Origin marker next to the Fountian restaurant | Built: 2004 Stand at: Corner of Monroe and Beaubien Have you ever wondered what Eight Mile Road is eight miles from? The answer is right here— Greektown is one of the anchors of Detroit’s entertainment culture and offers a casino and the point of origin! It was after the great fire in 1805 that Augustus Woodward laid out a dozens of bar and restaurant options. A trip to Detroit isn’t complete without trying the plan for Detroit based on the plans for Paris and Washington D.C. The name comes from its Greek appetizer, Saganaki — a special fried cheese that is flambéed right at your table. An historical use as a military training ground and gathering place. Today, Campus Martius is a important historical spot in Greektown is The Second Baptist Church which was founded place where locals and visitors listen to free concerts during the summer, go ice skating in in 1836 by 13 former slaves and was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Funny thing about the winter, or pick up something good to eat at Parc restaurant. Greektown though, it was originally settled by the Germans!

2 The 9 Z Garage & Belt Murals Stand at: Corner of Griswold and Congress, facing 500 Grisworld | Built: 1929 Stand at: Southwest corner of Grand River and Architect: Wirt Rowland “The Z” parking garage is quite possibly the coolest parking garage in the world. It is a The Guardian Building is unlike any other building, and was built for the Union Trust Company 10-floor, 535,000-square-foot space that zigzags from the corner of Broadway and East to be a “Cathedral of Finance”. The architect’s choice of a combining , Aztec and Grand River to the corner of Library and Gratiot in and includes original Native American influences as well as Detroit’s own tile, has an immediate works from 27 international street artists. The Belt (the alley between the two sections) impact on the passer by. Inside the Guardian Building is a must-see elaborate lobby where features murals by more than a dozen local, national and international artists. The Belt also you’ll find the Pure Detroit gift shop. offers a space for pop up art exhibitions and events with food trucks and live music. Both the Z and the Belt were curated by the Library Street Collective, an amazing gallery located just 3 One Woodward Avenue around the corner.

Stand at: Northwest corner of Woodward and Jefferson facing north | Built: 1963 10 Harmonie Park / Paradise Valley Architect: Minoru Yamazaki Stand at: The intersection of Grand River Avenue and Center Street One Woodward Avenue was one of Yamazaki’s first projects and it helped him Harmonie Park is an entertainment destination of its own and was originally home of the formulate his design for the World Trade Center, which began construction just three years German singing organization, the Harmonie Club. It has recently been renamed to honor the later. The views from the interior are some of the best in the city because the floor-to-ceiling historic African-American neighborhood which was destroyed when the freeway was added. windows seem never-ending. The large cube at the top is illuminated at night in varying hues Paradise Valley is now home to many restaurants, shops and the Arts League of which as a final crowning detail to the building’s simplicity. helps program great music and events in the recently renovated Beatrice Buck Paradise Valley Park. 4 Spirit of Detroit

Stand at: Northeast corner of Jefferson and Woodward | Dedicated: 1958 11 The Theater District Sculptor: Marshall Fredericks Stand at: Corner of Broadway and Witherell statue was created “to express the spirit of man through the deity and If it’s theater that you like, you are within walking distance of several theaters that combine the family”. Above the Spirit of Detroit you will see the City seal on the left and the County to house more than 13,000 theaters seats, making it the second largest theater district in seal on the right. The City seal depicts two women with flames behind them representing the the U.S. The , here at the corner, was built as a movie palace called the fire of 1805. The text shown is a Latin phrase “Speramus Meliora Resurget Cineribus” which Capitol Theater in 1922. Just north on Woodward is “fabulous” Fox Theater, which was built is the city’s motto and translates to “We hope for better things. It will arise from the ashes.” in 1928 to be one of the world’s most beautiful movie palaces, and succeeded. It seats over 5,000 people. Just south of the Fox Theater is the Fillmore Theater which was built in 1925 5 Hart Plaza by C. Howard Crane, who also designed the Opera House and the Fox Theater. Though not as grand as the Fox, it is still magnificent and is used for rock concerts and special events. Stand at: Southwest corner of Woodward and Jefferson | Completed: 1975 The 14-acre Hart Plaza is named for the late Senator Philip Hart and can hold more than 12 Grand Circus Park 40,000 people. It is host to many annual festivals such as Movement (Electronic Music Festival) and the Jazz Fest. The 63 foot steel arch on the north end is called Transcending Stand at: Corner of Woodward and Witherell and is the Michigan Labor Legacy Landmark. The Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain Comerica Park to the northeast has been home to the Detroit Tigers since 2000; Ford Field stands in the center of the Plaza and was designed by famed sculptor in 1978. has been home to the Detroit Lions since 2002, and it hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006. The Broderick Tower at Woodward and Witherell was designed by in 1928 and the across the street, designed by the architecture firm of Daniel 6 The Riverfront Burnham in 1915, had been vacant for decades but are now two of the premier residential Stand at: The RiverWalk at the base of the stairs buildings in the region and examples of Detroit’s current renaissance. The Detroit River is about 32 miles long and links Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie. It was here that Antoine de Lamothe Cadillac landed in 1701 and built Fort Ponchartrain du Detroit. The DXF Welcome Center beautiful sculpture you see is called Gateway to Freedom and it honors Detroit’s major role in the Underground Railroad. The riverfront has recently been developed as a leisure destination Stand at: 123 Monroe St. We offer information, connections and tools to anyone wishing to live, work, or engage in in the form of Detroit’s RiverWalk. Detroit. From the biggest questions – Where should I live? Where can I work? – to the smallest – Where should I go for dinner? What’s going on this week in the city? – DXF has you covered. Be 7 The sure to call or stop in with any and all Detroit inquiries! Stand at: Corner of Randolph and Jefferson | Built: 1977 The Renaissance Center is Detroit’s most recognizable building and Michigan’s tallest. When completed it was the tallest all-hotel skyscraper in the world at 73-stories. Today the Marriott is still one of the tallest hotels in the Western Hemisphere. The building currently serves as GM World Headquarters. It also includes 70 stores, restaurants and services. If you have the time there are free daily tours of the Renaissance Center.

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