Andy Mossack goes discovering Detroit, re-emerging from the ashes of bankruptcy. it really is the Comeback City.
“We didn’t come here just to play, we came to pray too.” Martha Reeves is reminiscing as we sit together in Motown’s original Studio A on West Grand Boulevard. Perhaps all that praying paid off, as Detroit’s recent revival is nothing short of a miracle.
Out of the abandonment and desolation of the recent financial crisis, the city is regenerating spectacularly quickly. Due in a large part to Detroit billionaire Dan Gilbert, the owner of Quicken Loans. He saw the potential in snapping up Detroit’s vast numbers of abandoned but once glorious buildings at knock down prices, investing in their refurbishment and offering them up to arty toffs.
As Kim Rusinow the owner of Destination Detroit Tours told me during her excellent tour of the city “”we auction off buildings like galleries auction art work.” Gilbert’s portfolio now extends to over 100 of these stunning art deco beauties and his interest has attracted like minded investors to what he calls “Opportunity Detroit.” While this may well be exploiting cheap property for commercial gain, in reality it is preserving the very fabric of what Detroit is all about.
And that can only be a good thing. In Gilbert’s defence, as a Detroiter himself, he understands this completely and lit the touch paper on recovery by moving his own Quicken staff into properties downtown.
Of course, gentrification brings opportunity, and Detroit’s downtown and riverfront are now home to trendy restaurants and hip cafes enjoying the cheap rental space and there’s a thriving art scene that has created some stunning giant murals around the city.
There are still many scars of abandonment away from downtown, but rebuilding a city takes time and you have to start somewhere. And that somewhere, has happened so fast, it’s even taken the locals by surprise. In a good way.
Perhaps the biggest pointer towards Detroit’s re-emergence is the brand-new Q Line street car (Q for Gilbert’s Quicken) which launched this month. A 3.5 mile service connecting downtown with Detroit’s railway station at New Center with 20 stops along the way. Somewhat ironic for a city which became famous for car production rather than public transport..
So what does today’s Detroit offer as a tourist destination. Can you really enjoy a quality holiday here in Motor City? I think you can, and here’s why:
The Detroit River Walk
The Detroit River is the natural border between the USA and Canada with Detroit Michigan on one side and Windsor Ontario on the other. Windsor seems almost within touching distance as I stroll along the new River Walk; a 3.5 mile paved trail with just landscaped parks, walkers, runners and fishermen for company. It runs from the Joe Louis Arena down to Gabriel Richard Park just past the Macarthur Bridge to Belle Isle.
While we’re mentioning Belle Isle, it is well worth exploring. Literally an island between the USA and Canada, it has a remarkable Victorian conservatory housing a stunning botanical garden, an aquarium, a nature zoo and miles of hiking trails. Back in the days of prohibition it was also a popular place for bootleggers running boats across to Canada.
There are plans to expand the River Walk to over 5 miles between the Ambassador and Macarthur Bridges.
The Motown Museum
Berry Gordy’s Hitsville USA studios are an absolute must for any music lover. As a former bass player myself, standing in Studio A where the legendary Funk Brothers performed their magic is giving me Goosebumps.
Motown left Detroit for LA in 1972 but prior to the move, this small house at 2648 West Grand Boulevard was operating 24 hours a day for thirteen years, churning out hit after hit. Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas and the Jackson 5 were just a few of the legendary names who practically lived inside these walls.
Today it is a wonderfully preserved museum run by Gordy’s sister Esther and there are hourly guided tours all over the house from Studio A to Gordy’s apartment upstairs. As we walk together upstairs after my interview, Martha Reeves tells me “I remember sitting by that table there sliding records into sleeves and packing them into boxes. We were a family and we all helped out.”
Martha sticks around as the first tour comes through the door and stops in their tracks. A completely unexpected Motown legend in their midst and she doesn’t disappoint. She ends up teaching them all the dance moves to Jimmy Mack. Still got it at 75.
The Ford Factory
Henry Ford’s original factory on Piquette Avenue has been rescued from demolition and is now a museum. This is the birth place of the legendary Model T which revolutionised car manufacturing and became at one time, the most popular car on earth. Each car was hand built and the assembly spaces are still very much in evidence. There are two pristine Model Ts on display here in the very factory where they were built, along with many other models, Henry Ford’s office and the office of Ford’s genius engineer Spider Huff.
For me, this whole neighbourhood defined Detroit’s car manufacturing history, where along these adjacent streets, many other competitors including Dodge, Packard and Cadillac were to become giants of the automotive industry.
Detroit City Tour
Believe it or not, Detroit’s streets are laid out in the same way as Paris, after all, it was the original French founders who gave it it’s name. Détroit in French translates to strait as in the strait from Lake Eyrie aka the Detroit River. The city used Paris as the model for its development; just take a walk down Washington Boulevard and see if you can imagine the Champs-Élysées.
A city tour will reveal many more French street names such as Gratiot and Charlevoix. But it’s not just about the French in Detroit. The city’s neighbourhoods reflect their immigrant roots; Greektown, Poltown, Corktown were the labour feed that was so vital for this industrial city. Those cultures still exist today. Just take a walk around Greektown and you’ll hear the sound of bouzouki’s playing traditional Greek tunes and the smells of Greek cuisine.
A city tour will include a visit to some mouth-wateringly beautiful buildings from Detroit’s heyday. Just take a look at the jaw dropping Guardian building, a former bank filled with Tiffany glass, or the stunning art deco Whitney Building, now the A Loft luxury hotel and the 1924 art deco Fox Theatre, the former 5,000 seat movie palace in the middle of Detroit’s theatre district.
Eastern Market
The largest open air wholesale/retail food market in the United States dates back to the late 1800s. While weekdays are mainly for wholesalers, it is Saturday where you’ll see thousands of Detroiters out to buy fresh produce from hundreds of vendors. On Sundays from June to end of September, the market showcases local artists, musicians, jewellers and artisan cooks. Whichever day you choose, the surrounding restaurants are hip and lively and full of character.
The Heidelberg Project
While downtown is well into its regeneration, there are many pockets of Detroit which still bear the scars of its bankruptcy. There are abandoned homes, but many cannot be demolished yet because of the dangers of toxins within the structures. That said, the Heidelberg Project is a highly thought provoking display of personal outdoor art in the city’s poor lower east side. It was created in 1986 all along Heidelberg Street by local artist Tyree Guyton who wanted to change his inner city neighbourhood into a place of safety.
His “time to change” displays of time and clocks are really quite beautiful Despite government demolition in the 90s and numerous arson attacks, his project is still growing strong and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011.
Detroit Institute of Arts
The jewel in the crown of Detroit has to be DIA. With over 100 galleries, it has one of the largest and most significant art collections in the USA from ancient Egyptian and European art to many contemporary pieces and is considered to be among the top five museums in America.
Pride of place must go to Mexican artist Diego Rivera’s celebrated giant frescoes Detroit Industry. Showcasing life and times at the Ford Motor Company. The 27 murals were painted in 1932 and cover the entire Rivera Court area.
Nip Across to Canada
Ontario is so close it takes less than 5 minutes through the tunnel to Windsor. You can drive through the tunnel, get your passport stamped, have a coffee in Canada and come back over the Ambassador Bridge. This old bridge might look more than a little rusty but the view is spectacular.
So have I convinced you to visit Detroit?
Detroit is a total surprise for me. This city has survived two major financial crises and has somehow found the strength and drive to begin again. And there is some serious investment too, like the Brush Park redevelopment, clearing away acres of condemned buildings to create new housing. Just walking down Woodward Avenue feels fancy. Trendy restaurants like Wright & Co hidden away on the first floor of a Queen Anne style brownstone, or hip cafe Avalon with their mashed avocado on toast and organic coffee.
Detroiters pitch in too. The Clean Downtown project offers workers with no CV a uniform, a hot meal and a minimum wage to keep trash off the streets. Downtown is safe to walk around at night.
This has all happened in just three years. Imagine what the next three years will bring.
As they say here.”Nothing Stops Detroit.”
All images except featured image, River Walk and Q Line (c) Andy Mossack
Tell me more about Discovering Detroit. The Comeback City.
You can find out about all the latest developments in Detroit from Visit Detroit.
Virgin Atlantic and Delta fly non-stop to Detroit from London Heathrow.
City tours available from Destination Detroit Tours
The museum is open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. During the summer from June there are Sunday openings. One hour tours cost $15 per adult and $10 per child. Pre booking is essential as tours often sell out.
Where to stay
Airport Parking
I Love meet and greet provides valet parking at Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports. Prices for one week’s parking at Heathrow from £98.98. visit:
