Summer's DOWN in MOTOWN! (Part 2): Boston-Edison Tour

***Jaybird*** · July 18th, 2011, 06:29 AM

The second part of my summer Detroit phototour takes me to the geographic heart of the city, Boston-Edison Historic Neighborhood. This area was once home to Detroit's prominent residents in history. The neighborhood consists of over 900 historic homes, so this tour is only a fraction of what is here. This district became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. These pictures were taken on a gorgeous Friday afternoon in July.

Entrance to the Boston-Edison Historic District, located at Woodward and West Boston.

Modest 3 storey homes on Edison...

Former Home of Henry Ford. he lived here from 1908-15.

Michigan Plaque for the House...

Private garden at the rear of the house...

Another angle of the house...

Continuing on Edison...

On Longfellow Avenue now...

James Couzens House, home of the former Detroit mayor, who was the only Canadian-born mayor in the history of the city. He was born and raised in nearby Chatham, Ontario.

This house was built in 1910 and designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn

S.S. Kresge House, founder of Kmart

House is on West Boston...

Benjamin Siegel House...

Charles T. Fisher house...

Walter Briggs House...

Former mansion of Berry Gordy, Jr. founder of Motown Records...

Homes on Chicago Boulevard...

hudkina · July 18th, 2011, 06:49 PM

Great tour. Boston-Edison doesn't get as much love as Palmer Woods or Indian Village, but it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight.

Hopefully LRT will make this area more attractive to downtown office workers who don't want to spend 45 minutes in traffic driving from the suburbs every morning. In fact it would be great to see the entire North Woodward corridor turn around (including Highland Park).

looksee · July 18th, 2011, 10:10 PM

Thanks for the revealing tour.

It astonishes me how nearly identical Detroit and Milwaukee appear to have been up until and through the time this neighborhood was built, i.e. until about WW-I.
Siting, design, materials, streetscapes exist in parallel in both cities; Not just the luxury blocks, but all building types, and indeed their population figures were also twin-like for many decades.
Of course the automobile boom changed all that, but the notion that finding one's comfort zone in one city could easily be transferred to the other seems again like a not-too-distant and positive possibility.

Chadoh25 · July 20th, 2011, 06:01 AM

Great photos.

GarfieldPark · July 20th, 2011, 10:48 PM

Looksee: "It astonishes me how nearly identical Detroit and Milwaukee appear to have been up until and through the time this neighborhood was built, i.e. until about WW-I."

I think there are areas in a lot of Midwest Cities that have beautiful homes that look pretty similar to this. It looks like a lot of the homes in the N. Meridian / Washington Blvd area of Indianapolis, like the Forest Park neighborhood in Ft. Wayne or similar areas I've seen in Toledo, S. Bend, Grand Rapids, etc. Most of these types of homes were built between about 1905 and 1930.

Thanks for the many great photos of these classic, high-end Detroit neighborhoods.

July 18th, 2011, 06:29 AM	#1
*Jaybird* Making Detroit look good! Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Mitchell, Ontario Posts: 3,883 Likes (Received): 19	Summer's DOWN in MOTOWN! (Part 2): Boston-Edison Tour The second part of my summer Detroit phototour takes me to the geographic heart of the city, Boston-Edison Historic Neighborhood. This area was once home to Detroit's prominent residents in history. The neighborhood consists of over 900 historic homes, so this tour is only a fraction of what is here. This district became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. These pictures were taken on a gorgeous Friday afternoon in July. Entrance to the Boston-Edison Historic District, located at Woodward and West Boston. Modest 3 storey homes on Edison... Former Home of Henry Ford. he lived here from 1908-15. Michigan Plaque for the House... Private garden at the rear of the house... Another angle of the house... Continuing on Edison... On Longfellow Avenue now... James Couzens House, home of the former Detroit mayor, who was the only Canadian-born mayor in the history of the city. He was born and raised in nearby Chatham, Ontario. This house was built in 1910 and designed by famed Detroit architect Albert Kahn S.S. Kresge House, founder of Kmart House is on West Boston... Benjamin Siegel House... Charles T. Fisher house... Walter Briggs House... Former mansion of Berry Gordy, Jr. founder of Motown Records... Homes on Chicago Boulevard... __________________ I'm a kind of person feeling like living back in the 1950s, one who favors and enjoys the Golden-age, rust-belt cities of Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Detroit, and the Gothic skylines of New York and Philadelphia. In my eye, they have more character, soul, and history to be pictured than today's world-class, cosmopolitan, and sprawling cities. Jaybird's ZENFOLIO Photo Galleries Jaybird's PBASE Photo Galleries

July 18th, 2011, 10:10 PM	#3
looksee Registered User Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: madison Posts: 661 Likes (Received): 3	Thanks for the revealing tour. It astonishes me how nearly identical Detroit and Milwaukee appear to have been up until and through the time this neighborhood was built, i.e. until about WW-I. Siting, design, materials, streetscapes exist in parallel in both cities; Not just the luxury blocks, but all building types, and indeed their population figures were also twin-like for many decades. Of course the automobile boom changed all that, but the notion that finding one's comfort zone in one city could easily be transferred to the other seems again like a not-too-distant and positive possibility. __________________ My generation set out to change the world, And we did. We f----- it up. Lewis Black: Running on Empty

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July 18th, 2011, 06:49 PM	#2
hudkina Registered User Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Detroit Posts: 4,570 Likes (Received): 8	Great tour. Boston-Edison doesn't get as much love as Palmer Woods or Indian Village, but it definitely deserves its time in the spotlight. Hopefully LRT will make this area more attractive to downtown office workers who don't want to spend 45 minutes in traffic driving from the suburbs every morning. In fact it would be great to see the entire North Woodward corridor turn around (including Highland Park).

July 20th, 2011, 06:01 AM	#4
Chadoh25 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 7,567 Likes (Received): 248	Great photos.

July 20th, 2011, 10:48 PM	#5
GarfieldPark Registered User Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 2,582 Likes (Received): 10	Looksee: "It astonishes me how nearly identical Detroit and Milwaukee appear to have been up until and through the time this neighborhood was built, i.e. until about WW-I." I think there are areas in a lot of Midwest Cities that have beautiful homes that look pretty similar to this. It looks like a lot of the homes in the N. Meridian / Washington Blvd area of Indianapolis, like the Forest Park neighborhood in Ft. Wayne or similar areas I've seen in Toledo, S. Bend, Grand Rapids, etc. Most of these types of homes were built between about 1905 and 1930. Thanks for the many great photos of these classic, high-end Detroit neighborhoods.