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People have asked me why visit Detroit? Detroit was a very rich city once known as the Paris of the Midwest. My answer almost always involves the arts. The D
by rmason 4y ago
People have asked me why visit Detroit? Detroit was a very rich city once known as the Paris of the Midwest.
My answer almost always involves the arts. The DIA and the Henry Ford are the two huge ones but there are lots of other less known museums. One example is the Charles H. Wright museum of African American history, I've never known another one to equal it.
A couple more would be the Motown museum which is under construction now and will quadruple in size. The Detroit Historical Museum which is not only useful for the city's history but it's number one business which is automobiles.
One of my favorites is the Ford Piquette Avenue plant which is where the Model T was first built. Not only do you get a history of the company and a chance to see Henry's office and that of his chief engineer C. Harold Wills but a complete collection of all the models Ford built before the Model T.
- refurb 4y agoIndeed. It’s hard to understate what kind of city Detroit was at its peak. I think Silicon Valley would be an appropriate analogy. The Henry Ford museum is truly remarkable and a place you can spend your entire day.
- divbzero 4y agoPhilip Jarmain captureed an echo of Detroit’s former opulence in a series of photographs titled American Beauty: https://www.kostuikgallery.com/project/american-beauty/ https://www.kostuikgallery.com/project/american-beauty/
- rmason 4y agoThree updates since those pictures have been taken. The State of Michigan has poured tens of millions into Belle Isle (an island in the Detroit River that's a park) and that includes the aquarium. Ford bought Michigan Central Depot and is pouring a couple of hundred million restoring it and two nearby buildings. It will be the headquarters for their self driving team and other car related tech. The first floor will be rented to merchants. The old General Motors building was like that. You could eat, buy a suit or see the dentist all without leaving the building. You think Silicon Valley invented that sort of thing? The David Whitney building has been completely restored and is now a five star hotel. There has been so much demand for hotel apartments that they're converting I think the two top floors. https://historicdetroit.org/galleries/david-whitney-building-renovation-photos https://historicdetroit.org/galleries/david-whitney-building...