A historical and urban analysis of Detroit's Corktown neighborhood. c. 2006

1. C O R K T O W N:
AN URBAN CASE STUDY
B O B
M O R E O
- a n d -
J E R E M Y
GRIFFIS
11.29.05
UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY / SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE
AR518: URBANISM AND URBAN ISSUES
DORIAN MOORE, INSTRUCTOR

2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT

3. WORKERS THIS SIMPLE ROW HOUSE, BELIEVED TO BE AMONG THE OLDEST
R O W RESIDENCES REMAINING IN THE CITY, APPEARS ON THE HART MAP OF
H O U S E DETROIT PUBLISHED IN 1853, AND MAY HAVE PREEXISTED THE
RELOCATION IN 1849 OF THE NEIGHBORING MOST HOLY TRINITY
c.1840
CHURCH’S FIRST FRAME STRUCTURE.

4. M O S T DETROIT’S OLDEST IRISH-CATHOLIC PARISH,
H O L Y FOUNDED IN 1834.
TRINITY
CATHOLIC
CHURCH
c.1855

5. WESTERN “…THE AREA AROUND MICHIGAN AND TRUMBULL WAS CLEARED OF TREES
MARKET AND PAVED WITH COBBLESTONES; FARMERS NOW HAD A LARGE MARKET
c.1875 FROM WHICH TO SELL LUMBER AND HAY ON THE CITY’S WEST EDGE.”

6. BENNETT
P A R K
c.1896

7. FIGURE
GROUND
S T U D Y
c.1897

8. MICHIGAN “THE STATION WAS
CENTRAL SITED WEST OF
STATION DOWNTOWN; THE
THEORY BEING THAT
c.1913 THE RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD
BETWEEN –
W A R R E N GENERALLY
& REGARDED AS A
WETTMORE SLUM …”
- a n d -
R E E D “…WOULD BE CLEARED AS
& DOWNTOWN INEVITABLY EXPANDED
S T E M
WESTWARD.
ARCHITECTS WHEN DETROIT’S TROLLEY SYSTEM
DISBANDED IN 1956, TRAVELERS
WERE LEFT WITH A TRAIN STATION
LACKING BOTH ADEQUATE PARKING
AND A VIABLE ALTERNATIVE FORM
OF TRANSIT TO GET THEM TO AND
FROM THE STATION.”

9. FIGURE
GROUND
S T U D Y
c.1950

10. U R B A N “IN THE 1950s MANY LOCAL
RENEWAL: HOMEOWNERS FOUGHT A SPIRITED
BATTLE AGAINST RELOCATION…THE
WEST SIDE WEST SIDE INDUSTRIAL PROJECT
INDUSTRIAL EVENTUALLY CLEARED 167 ACRES.”
P A R K
“OF CORKTOWN’S 1,000 HOMES,
1959 - 1963
BULLDOZERS TOOK DOWN ABOUT 700 –
SOME FOR LAND THAT’S STILL VACANT.”

11. L O D G E “DEMOGRAPHERS BELIEVE
DETROIT’S POPULATION PEAKED
FREEWAY CLOSE TO 2 MILLION IN ABOUT
1953 BEFORE IT BEGAN
B U I L T :
DROPPING.”
1 9 5 3
- t hro ugh -
1 9 6 4
“NORTHLAND CENTER, THE LARGEST
REGIONAL MALL IN THE COUNTRY,
OPENED IN 1954 – WITH PARKING
FOR 10,000 CARS.”

12. F I S H E R
FREEWAY
B U I L T :
1 9 6 7
- t hro ugh -
1 9 7 0

13. FIGURE
GROUND
S T U D Y
c.1996

14. CURRENT STATISTICAL DATA:
D E M O G R A P H I C S

15. NEIGHBOR
H O O D
PROFILE:
CENSUS
T R A C T S
5209,5214

16. NEIGHBOR
H O O D
PROFILE:
CENSUS
T R A C T S
5209,5214

17. CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:
I R I S H H E R I T A G E
BY 1850 THE IRISH WERE THE REGION’S BIGGEST ETHNIC GROUP.
IN 1850, 1 IN 7 FOREIGN DETROITERS HAD BEEN BORN IN IRELAND.
THERE ARE STILL 630,000 METRO DETROITERS WITH SOME IRISH HERITAGE.
THE DETROIT BRANCH OF
THE GAELIC LEAGUE, THE
TERENCE MACSWINEY
BRANCH, WAS FORMED
DECEMBER 9, 1920. IT
WAS MODELED AFTER THE
GAELIC LEAGUE OF
IRELAND, FOUNDED BY
DOUGLAS HYDE IN 1893.

18. BASEBALL
1896 – 1912: BENNETT PARK
A T T H E
CORNER: 1912 – 1938: NAVIN FIELD
1 8 9 6 1938 – 1961: BRIGGS STADIUM
- t o - 1961 – 1999: TIGER STADIUM
1 9 9 9 * ALSO HOME TO THE DETROIT LIONS
FROM 1938 - 1974

19. ORGANIZED GREATER DETROIT BUILDING AND
L A B O R CONSTRUCTION TRADES (1937)
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF
ELECTRICAL WORKERS (1891)
INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF
TEAMSTERS (1903)
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER
CARRIERS (1889)
THE GREATER CORKTOWN DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION LISTS 10 BUSINESSES RELATED
TO ORGANIZED LABOR WITHIN CORKTOWN.

20. L O C A L
ECONOMY

21. CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS:
DISTRICT BOUNDARIES AND ADJACENCIES

22. GENERAL
LAYOUT

23. U R B A N
DESIGN
ANALYSIS

24. LAND USE
ANALYSIS

25. LAND USE
ANALYSIS

26. LAND USE
ANALYSIS

27. BUILDING
T Y P E S :
SINGLE
FAMILY
HOUSING

28. BUILDING
T Y P E S :
M U L T I -
FAMILY
HOUSING