Highlighting Two Additional Noteworthy Neighborhoods in Detroit for Students Faculty and Staff

Posted by John H. Heinrichs


Jan 21

Highlighting Noteworthy Neighborhoods in Detroit

In my first blog post, Detroitareamap-230I highlighted two city of Detroit historic neighborhoods (North Rosedale Park and East English Village).  These neighborhoods are primarily residential communities consisting of mostly single family homes.  In this second blog post, I would like to draw attention to two additional Detroit historic neighborhoods which are in closer proximity to Wayne State University, Downtown Detroit, and Mid-Town.  They are Palmer Park and Lafayette Park.  These two communities are very different from most other neighborhoods within the city because they primarily contain multi-family dwellings units.  Accordingly, Palmer Park and Lafayette Park are more densely populated neighborhoods with urban living more similar to perhaps Chicago or Washington D.C.  As an added benefit, they are in close proximity to a variety of entertainment and retail districts as well as city parks.  Palmer Park and Lafayette Park are also closer to Downtown and Mid-town than North Rosedale Park and East English Village.  

Much attention has been given to Mid-town and Downtown as the “hot spots” for living options for students, faculty, and staff. Real estate sales prices and market rate apartment rentals in Mid-town and Downtown are rapidly increasing beyond the reach of the moderate income families and individuals.  As city government and the various neighborhoods undergo restructuring and revitalization, Palmer Park and Lafayette Towers may be two very viable options that have not received as much media attention but still offer very affordable but unique living amenities.

Palmer Park

The Palmer Park community is located on the Northside of Detroit and is bounded by Woodward Avenue on the East, McNichols (Six Mile Road) or the city of Highland Park on the South, Pontchartrain Blvd. or the prestigious Detroit Golf Club on the West and the Park on the North.  (Palmer Park is an approximate 300 acre park that extends from the Palmer Park neighborhood to a mile north to Seven Mile Road.)  The city of Ferndale’s entertainment district is a five minute drive north from Palmer Park and downtown Royal Oak is just ten minutes away.  The WSU campus is also approximately ten minutes to the south.  


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The People for Palmer Park Association (PPPA) website describes this neighborhood and area as:

"296 acres of lawns and historic woodlands, a public golf course, tennis courts, outdoor pool, hiking and biking trails, Lake Frances, a historic log cabin, and more. … It [Palmer Park] has been a treasured nature park and recreation site for more than 100 years."

The Palmer Park neighborhood is comprised of approximately 40 apartment buildings and townhouses that were designed and built by some of Detroit’s best architects (including Weidmaier and Gay, Robert West, and William Kapp).  Built between 1924 and the 1950s, the apartments reflect exotic architecture in the Egyptian, Spanish, Venetian, Moorish, Tudor and Mediterranean styles, as well as Art Moderne and Georgian.  The apartment buildings are primarily five- and six-story structures.  According to the PPPA, the area is undergoing major revitalization with thirteen buildings in total undergoing renovations some of which are already completed.

2003_McNichols,_Palmer_Park_Apartment_Buildings,_Detroit_MI-3502025_McNichols,_Palmer_Park_Apartment_Buildings,_Detroit_MI-350
Images by Andrew Jameson (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Monthly apartment rental prices ranges from $350 for a studio to $600 for a two bedroom apartment overlooking the Park and $850 per month for a three bedroom two bath room apartment.  The Detroit Curbed website objectively exclaims:

"With the attention of the media focused like a laser on Downtown, it's time to amp up the conversation about a Detroit neighborhood that absolutely needs to be saved.”

If light rail ever makes it up Woodward then this neighborhood will be prime time – and even if it's only bus rapid transit, it has potential to be great housing for students.  Investment is already in the air.   On the negative side, the crime problem is still a consideration.   However, it boasts gorgeous and spacious apartments and improvements to the park, hiking and bike trails, tennis courts, and other amenities. 

Lafayette Park Neighborhood

Wikipedia states that Lafayette Park is a high rise residential neighborhood east of Downtown Detroit. The area is part of the Mies van der Rohe Residential District listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Lafayette Park is located on the city's lower east side directly south of the Eastern Market Historic District.  The neighborhood is also located roughly half-way between Downtown and Chene Park, and is also close to Belle Isle and the MacArthur Bridge. There is also easy access to I-75, Gratiot Avenue, and Jefferson Avenue.


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The 78-acre development was originally planned as Gratiot Park in 1946 to replace the Black Bottom neighborhood considered a slum.  The neighborhood was planned by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, Ludwig Hilberseimer and Alfred Caldwell, and reflect a complex collection of one and two-story townhomes, high-rises apartments and cooperatives, a small neighborhood shopping center, adjacent to a 19-acre park.

The neighborhood contains 186 one and two-story cooperative townhouses on 18 acres built between 1958 and 1960. The main high-rise buildings are:

Building Name Floors Year Completed
1300 Lafayette East Cooperative 29 1961
Lafayette Pavilion Apartments 22 1958
Lafayette Towers Apartments East 22 1963
Lafayette Towers Apartments West 22 1963
The Windsor Tower 21 1965


Rentals at The Pavilion range from $675 for a studio apartment to $1,286 for a two bedroom apartment to $1,600 for a three bedroom two bathroom. For purchasers, a foreclosed apartment was recently sold at $19,000. Recent non-foreclosure sale prices are now in the low to mid $100,000’s.

WSU Students, Staff and Faculty Considering Detroit Neighborhoods

There is no disputing that the vast majority of the economic investment is being made to Downtown and Mid-town Detroit to attract young, college educated individuals to “live, work, and play” in the more densely populated urban core.  Along with a variety of housing options, jobs, economic development, public safety, public K-12 education, infrastructure (street lights, roads, water systems, etc.), and recreational facilities and activities are essential components of a strong and vibrant city.  Detroit now has many strong advocates working more closely together.  The City anticipates further improvements with the leadership of Mayor-Elect Duggan and Police Chief James Craig.  Each of the communities that I have highlighted is working tirelessly to market the uniqueness of its particular neighborhood to ensure the long-term viability of Detroit. 

(All accolades and credit for this tremendous blog post are for Ricardo A. Kinser who is the author and content creator for this post.)

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