New Amsterdam Historic District

Last updated

New Amsterdam Historic District
New Amsterdam streetscape - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Streetscape on Cass, taken from where 425 York once stood. 6001 Cass is to the left; 6050, 6110, and 6160 Cass line the street to the right. The rear of 41-47 Burroughs is at the extreme right
New Amsterdam Historic District
Interactive map
Location Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates 42°21′56″N83°4′21″W / 42.36556°N 83.07250°W / 42.36556; -83.07250
Architect Albert Kahn; et al.
Architectural styleLate 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, Late Victorian
NRHP reference No. 01000570 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 30, 2001

The New Amsterdam Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan. Buildings in this district are on or near three sequential east-west streets (Amsterdam, Burroughs, and York) on the two blocks between Woodward Avenue and Second Avenue. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. [1]

Contents

District definition

The New Amsterdam Historic District was recognized by both the National Register of Historic Places and the City of Detroit [2] as a historic district in 2001. Specific buildings in the general area are included in the designation; these buildings are located at 435 and 450 Amsterdam Street, 41-47, and 440 Burroughs Street, 5911-5919 and 6050-6160 Cass Avenue, 6100-6200 Second Avenue, and 425 York Street. In addition, the city designation includes 6001 Cass Avenue. [2]

General history

Burroughs Adding Machine, now the Henry Ford Health Headquarters Henry Ford Health System Headquarters June 2008.jpg
Burroughs Adding Machine, now the Henry Ford Health Headquarters

Major railroad infrastructure, known as the Milwaukee Junction, was built in the 1890s to facilitate industrial expansion in the city of Detroit. [3] To take advantage of the rail line, industrial plants were built in this area on both sides of Woodward Avenue, with the automotive industry prominently involved. Part of this area east of Woodward is now the Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District, while the area west of Woodward and south of the railroad tracks is the New Amsterdam Historic District. Some commercial buildings were also built in this area, particularly along Cass.

Although not part of the New Amsterdam Historic District, part of the early industrial character of the area was formed by the enormous Albert Kahn-designed Burroughs Adding Machine factory at Second and Burroughs, which is now the Henry Ford Health Systems administrative offices. [3]

Structures

The district features several historically significant buildings. Some of these are:

Unknown (435 Amsterdam Street)

435 Amsterdam under renovation. 435 Amsterdam - Detroit Michigan.jpg
435 Amsterdam under renovation.

This building is was incorporated into the University Prep School's Mark Murray Campus. [4]

Cadillac Assembly Plant (450 Amsterdam Street)

Cadillac Plant, now home to Wescott Paper. Cadillac Assembly Plant Amsterdam Street - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Cadillac Plant, now home to Wescott Paper.
Cadillac Plant, c. 1910 Cadillac Assembly Plant Amsterdam Street historic - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Cadillac Plant, c. 1910

The Cadillac Assembly Plant was designed by George D. Mason in 1905 for the Cadillac Motor Car Company. [3] The plant was constructed in only 67 days [5] after a fire damaged the original buildings on the site. [6]

Cadillac moved their production to the Clark Street plant in Southwest Detroit in 1920, after which Wescott Paper and other tenants leased the building. [5]

Like theAlbert-Kahn-designed Packard Motor Company Building #10, the use of reinforced concrete in this building is considered to be a pioneer application in industrial buildings. [7]

Graphic Arts Building (41-47 Burroughs Street)

Graphic Arts Building. Graphic Arts Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Graphic Arts Building.

The Graphic Arts Building was designed and built in 1926 by Murphy and Burns. [3] It features a striking terra cotta exterior. [3] The original tenants were graphic art professionals, including a commercial engraver, a photographer, and art studios. [3]

Jonna Construction has purchased this property and has redeveloped the building into lofts. [8] The redevelopment, known as the "Lofts at New Amsterdam Phase I," consists of 39 units; as of 2007, the building was 48% occupied. [9] The second phase of the development is in the Caille Brothers building at 6200 Second. [9]

G. A. Richards Oakland Company Service Department for Oaklands and Pontiacs (440 Burroughs Street)

G. A. Richards Oakland Company Service Department, now TechTown, TechOne. TechTown - Detroit Michigan.jpg
G. A. Richards Oakland Company Service Department, now TechTown, TechOne.

This Pontiac service dealership was designed in 1927 by Albert Kahn. [3] The owner, George A. Richards, also owned WJR and the Detroit Lions. [3]

Beginning in the late 1920s, the Jerry McCarthy Chevrolet Company operated a dealership and service center out of this building. Concurrently, the Chevrolet Chart and Display Department (which would later become Chevrolet Creative Services and occupy the entire building until 1996) ran its operation out of a small corner of the structure at 440 Burroughs Street. [10]

The building is currently TechOne, the first phase of the Techtown research incubator. [11] As of late 2007, the building had 34 tenants. [11]

Carney-Labadie Building (5911-5919 Cass Avenue)

Carney-Labadie Building, now John King Big Bookstore Carney-Labadie Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Carney-Labadie Building, now John King Big Bookstore
Firestone badge atop John King (Carney-Labadie Building) Carney-Labadie Building detail - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Firestone badge atop John King (Carney-Labadie Building)

C. F. Carney and Joseph Labadie formed the Carney-Labadie Company in 1910 to distribute Exide batteries and Firestone tires. [12] The company purchased the McGraw estate on Cass in 1922 to build a headquarters. [12]

The building is now the John King Big Bookstore, though it has closed as of 2017.

Cadillac Sales & Service (6001 Cass)

Historic 6001 Cass Avenue Cadillac Sales and Service Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Historic 6001 Cass Avenue

The six-story Cadillac Sales and Service Building was designed by Albert Kahn [11] and built in 1927; it originally contained offices and a showroom. [5] In the 1970s, it was converted into classrooms for Wayne State University's Criminal Justice program. [5] The building has now been restored and converted into a WeWork, which offers beautiful spaces for collaboration, community, and events, . [11]

Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation Building (6050 Cass Avenue)

The Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation Building, now Wayne State University PD Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
The Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation Building, now Wayne State University PD

The Stewart- Warner Speedometer Corporation Building was built in 1925 as the Detroit home of the Stewart-Warner Speedometer Corporation. It was later used as a wheel and brake service center, and the Burroughs Corporation credit union. [5] Wayne State University has used this building to house their parking and mail departments. [5]

In 2008, Wayne State began refurbishing the building for use by the Department of Public Safety. [13] The building opened in June 2008. [14]

American Beauty Irons (American Electrical Heater Building) (6110 Cass)

Woodward facade of the American Beauty Iron Co. AmericanBeauty2.jpg
Woodward facade of the American Beauty Iron Co.
Cassfacade of the American Beauty Iron Co. AmericanBeauty.jpg
Cassfacade of the American Beauty Iron Co.

The American Beauty Iron Building was designed by Albert Kahn. [15] It was built in 1908 for the American Electrical Heater Company, a maker of electric irons and toasters. [16] A portion of the building was demolished in 1932 when Woodward was widened, and an addition was constructed in 1934. [16]

The building was demolished in August 2012 [17] in order to construct the third phase of TechTown, [11] a nearby biomedical research center. [15]

Walter J. Bemb Buick-Pontiac Dealership (6160 Cass Avenue)

Walter J. Bemb dealership, now Dagleish Cadillac 6160cass detroit.jpg
Walter J. Bemb dealership, now Dagleish Cadillac

The Walter J. Bemb Buick-Pontiac Dealership was designed in 1927 by Albert Kahn. [5] Walter J. Bemb was a Detroit automotive pioneer who began his career in Detroit's first automobile dealership working for William E. Metzger. [18] He worked for both Ford Motor Company and Hudson Motor Company until striking out on his own in 1912 with the Bemb-Robinson Company, selling Hudson and later Essex automobiles. [18] He later became associated with General Motors.

In 1972, Dalgleish Cadillac, a dealership which has been in business since 1922, purchased the building. [6] The dealership, the last Cadillac dealership in Detroit, closed in 2009. The building is part of a $93-million rehabilitation project planned by nearby Wayne State University; [3] it will be converted into a biomedical research center. [15]

Engine Co. 17/Ladder Co. 7 (6100 Second Avenue)

Engine Co. 17/Ladder Co. 7 Firehouse Engine 17 Ladder 7 - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Engine Co. 17/Ladder Co. 7

The Engine 17 and Ladder 7 companies were originally organized on June 17, 1893, at the corner of Cass and Amsterdam. [19] In 1921, the original firehouse was sold, and in late 1922 the companies moved into a new firehouse at the corner of Second and Burroughs. The fire station has been in continuous service since. [5]

Detroit Edison Amsterdam Substation (6126 Second Avenue)

Amsterdam Substation on Second Amsterdam Substation - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Amsterdam Substation on Second
Plaque on the facade of the Amsterdam Substation Amsterdam Substation plaque - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Plaque on the facade of the Amsterdam Substation

The Amsterdam Substation was built in 1929 for Detroit Edison, and is still in use today.

Detroit Edison Substation (6134 Second Avenue)

Detroit Edison Substation, now Detroit Children's Museum Detroit Childrens Museum.jpg
Detroit Edison Substation, now Detroit Children's Museum

The Detroit Edison Substation at 6134 Second Avenue [20] was built c. 1910 by the Detroit Edison Company. [21] The building eventually fell into disuse, and in 2001, the Detroit Public Schools bought the building and paid three million dollars to renovate it. [22] After renovation, the schools moved the Detroit Children's Museum from its Midtown location to the site. [21]

Caille Brothers Building (6200 Second Avenue)

Caille Brothers Building (2008) Caille Brothers Building - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Caille Brothers Building (2008)

The Caille Brothers Building was built in several stages between 1900 and 1930. [5]

The Caille Brothers Company began manufacturing in Detroit in 1895, when A. Arthur Caille, inventor of the penny slot machine, [5] moved his business to Detroit from Saginaw. [23] Caille ran the company along with his brother Adolf. [23] The brothers built the company to become one of the largest penny slot makers in the world, [23] employing over 400 people in 1912. [24] Later they expanded their product line to include other items such as marine motors, scales, [23] and the conveyor belts used in grocery stores. [9]

The building was later known as the Century Floral Building

Jonna Construction purchased this property and redeveloped the building into lofts. Phase I of the development, now completed, was in the Graphic Arts Building at 41-47 Burroughs. The property plan, known as the Lofts at New Amsterdam, Phase II, called for 62 loft units in the building, and was completed in 2010, and is located across the street from the new Pistons Performance Center, in New Center. [25]

425 York Street

Parking lot where 425 York once stood 425 York parking lot WSU - Detroit Michigan.jpg
Parking lot where 425 York once stood

This building on the corner of Cass Avenue and York Street has been demolished by Wayne State University. A surface parking lot has replaced it.

Education

New Center is within the Detroit Public Schools district.

Thirkell Elementary School, [26] Golightly K-8 and Hutchins Middle School, [27] and Northwestern High School serve New Amsterdam. [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Kahn (architect)</span> American architect

Albert Kahn was an American industrial architect who designed industrial plant complexes such as the Ford River Rouge automobile complex. He designed the construction of Detroit skyscrapers and office buildings as well as mansions in the city suburbs. He led an organization of hundreds of architect associates and in 1937, designed 19% of all architect-designed industrial factories in the United States. Under a unique contract in 1929, Kahn established a design and training office in Moscow, sending twenty-five staff there to train Soviet architects and engineers, and to design hundreds of industrial buildings under their first five-year plan. They trained more than 4,000 architects and engineers using Kahn's concepts. In 1943, the Franklin Institute posthumously awarded Kahn the Frank P. Brown Medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cadillac Place</span> Government offices in Detroit, Michigan

Cadillac Place, formerly the General Motors Building, is a landmark high-rise office complex located at 3044 West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area of Detroit, Michigan. It was renamed for the French founder of Detroit, Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac. It is a National Historic Landmark in Michigan, listed in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Detroit</span> Cultural center and neighborhood in Wayne, Michigan, United States

Midtown Detroit is a commercial and residential district located along the east and west side of Woodward Avenue, north of Downtown Detroit, and south of the New Center area. The area includes several historic districts. In addition, it contains a residential area of some 14,550 people and covers 2.09 sq mi. The community area of neighborhoods is bounded by the Chrysler Freeway (I-75) on the east, the Lodge Freeway (M-10) on the west, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the north, and the Fisher Freeway (I-75) on the south.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Center, Detroit</span> Cultural enclave and neighborhoods in Wayne County, Michigan, United States

New Center is a commercial and residential district located in Detroit, Michigan, adjacent to Midtown, one mile (1.6 km) north of the Cultural Center, and approximately three miles (5 km) north of Downtown. The area is centered just west of the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Grand Boulevard, and is bounded by, and includes the Virginia Park Historic District on the north, the Edsel Ford Freeway (I-94) on the south, John R Street on the east and the Lodge Freeway on the west. New Center, and the surrounding areas north of I-94, are sometimes seen as coterminous with the North End, while in fact separate districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brush Park</span> United States historic place

The Brush Park Historic District is a neighborhood located in Detroit, Michigan. It is bounded by Mack Avenue on the north, Woodward Avenue on the west, Beaubien Street on the east, and the Fisher Freeway on the south. The Woodward East Historic District, a smaller historic district completely encompassed by the larger Brush Park neighborhood, is located on Alfred, Edmund, and Watson Streets, from Brush Street to John R. Street, and is recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Qube (Detroit)</span> Financial center in Michigan, US

The Qube, previously known as the Chase Tower, the Bank One Center, and the National Bank of Detroit Building, is a high-rise office building and Quicken Loans operations center in the U.S. designated Detroit Financial District at 611 Woodward Avenue, in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1959 and stands at 14 floors in height. It was completely remodeled in 2011 and is currently in the process of remodeling again. It was designed in the modern architectural style, and uses a great deal of marble to coordinate with the buildings in the nearby Civic Center. It was designed by Albert Kahn Associates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of metropolitan Detroit</span> Architecture style of Metropolitan Detroit, Michigan, USA

The architecture of metropolitan Detroit continues to attract the attention of architects and preservationists alike. With one of the world's recognizable skylines, Detroit's waterfront panorama shows a variety of architectural styles. The post-modern neogothic spires of One Detroit Center refer to designs of the city's historic Art Deco skyscrapers. Together with the Renaissance Center, they form the city's distinctive skyline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bonstelle Theatre</span> United States historic place in Detroit, Michigan

The Bonstelle Theatre is a theater and former synagogue owned by Wayne State University, located at 3424 Woodward Avenue in the Midtown Woodward Historic District of Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1902 as the Temple Beth-El, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. As of 2023, the Bonstelle is planned to be renovated and integrated into a newly-constructed hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin S. George Building</span> United States historic place

The Edwin S. George Building, built in 1908, is located at 4612 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, at the corner of Woodward and Garfield. In 1914, the name was changed to the Garfield Building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Motor Sales</span> United States historic place

The Cass Motor Sales is a commercial building located at 5800 Cass Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District is a historic district located along Piquette Street in Detroit, Michigan, from Woodward Avenue on the west to Hastings Street on the east. The district extends approximately one block south of Piquette to Harper, and one block north to the Grand Trunk Western Railroad Line. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Detroit, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Center for High Technology</span> United States historic place

The Metropolitan Center for High Technology, formerly S. S. Kresge World Headquarters, is an office building located at 2727 Second Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979. The office building is now part of Wayne State University and used as a business incubator for startup companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cass Park Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Cass Park Historic District is a historic district in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, consisting of 25 buildings along the streets of Temple, Ledyard, and 2nd, surrounding Cass Park. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005 and designated a city of Detroit historic district in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Woodward Historic District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Midtown Woodward Historic District is a historic district located along Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. Structures in the district are located between 2951 and 3424 Woodward Avenue, and include structures on the corner of Charlotte Street and Peterboro Street. The district was admitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University–Cultural Center Multiple Resource Area</span> United States historic place

The University–Cultural Center MRA is a pair of multiple property submissions to the National Register of Historic Places which were approved on April 29 and May 1, 1986. The structures included are all located in Midtown, near Woodward Avenue and Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. The two submissions are designated the University–Cultural Center MRA Phase I, containing five properties, and the University–Cultural Center MRA Phase II, containing three properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Financial District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Downtown and Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown and Midtown neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Latitude and longitude coordinates are provided for many National Register properties and districts; these locations may be seen together in online maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George D. Mason</span> American architect

George DeWitt Mason was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan, in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Local designations Archived 2008-04-11 at the Wayback Machine from the City of Detroit
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, and the American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter, AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture, Wayne State University Press, Detroit, 2002, ISBN   0-8143-3120-3. pp. 168-169.
  4. ↑ Central Woodward Strategic Investment Area Archived 2007-10-09 at the Wayback Machine Comprehensive Investment Strategy
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Randall Fogelman, Detroit's New Center, Arcadia Publishing, 2004, ISBN   0-7385-3271-1, pp.57-66
  6. 1 2 Detroit Cadillac Driving Tour Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine from Motor Cities.org
  7. ↑ "Historic Cadillac Motor Car Company Assembly Plant". Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  8. ↑ New Center Council Planning
  9. 1 2 3 Detroit Development News Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine , May 22, 2007, from Model D
  10. ↑ "Tech Center News, 03-28-1994"
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Tom Henderson, "TechTown tries to find new funding," Crain's Detroit Business, October 22, 2007
  12. 1 2 William Stocking, The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, S.J. Clarke Publishing, 1922, p. 851
  13. ↑ Indera Robinson, Archived 2007-02-13 at the Wayback Machine "WSU Department of Public Safety to expand with new modern facility," from Life at Wayne.
  14. ↑ "WSUPD Grand Opening" from Wayne State University.
  15. 1 2 3 John Gallagher (May 7, 2012). "WSU plan to raze building angers some in Midtown". Detroit Free Press.
  16. 1 2 Melanie A. Markowicz. "American Beauty Iron Company Planned for Demolition by WSU". Preservation Detroit. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  17. ↑ "American Beauty Building Now Mostly Just A Rubble Pile". Curbed. Retrieved September 14, 2012. Archived 2017-02-23 at the Wayback Machine
  18. 1 2 Clarence Monroe Burton, William Stocking, Gordon K. Miller, The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, S. J. Clarke Publishing, 1922, p. 517
  19. ↑ Detroit Firefighters history
  20. ↑ Melinda Clynes, "Kid City", Model D, January 22, 2008
  21. 1 2 Daniel G. Fricker, "Detroit Hopes New Children's Museum Will Spur Development," Detroit Free Press, October 27, 2001.
  22. ↑ "New Children’s Museum Opens in Empowerment Zone," Archived 2007-11-07 at the Wayback Machine In the Zone, Winter 2002.
  23. 1 2 3 4 William Stocking, Gordon K. Miller, The City of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, S. J. Clarke Publishing, 1922, p. 600.
  24. ↑ Albert Nelson Marquis, The Book of Detroiters, A. N. Marquis & Co., 1912, p. 92
  25. ↑ "Construction begins on 62-unit New Amsterdam Lofts". May 22, 2007.
  26. ↑ "Elementary School Boundary Map Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools . Retrieved on November 7, 2009, 2009.
  27. ↑ "Middle School Boundary Map Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools . Retrieved on November 7, 2009.
  28. ↑ "High School Boundary Map Archived 2011-11-02 at the Wayback Machine ." Detroit Public Schools . Retrieved on November 7, 2009.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.