Greektown, Detroit
Greektown Historic District | |
Greektown at night | |
Location | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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Coordinates | 42°20′6″N 83°2′32″W / 42.33500°N 83.04222°W / 42.33500; -83.04222 |
Architect | Multiple |
Architectural style | Late Victorian, Renaissance, Romanesque |
NRHP reference No. | 82002902[1] |
Added to NRHP | May 06, 1982 |
Greektown is a commercial and entertainment district in Detroit, Michigan, located just northeast of the heart of downtown, along Monroe Avenue between Brush and St. Antoine streets. It has a station by that name on the city's elevated downtown transit system known as the Detroit People Mover. Greektown is situated between the Renaissance Center, Comerica Park, and Ford Field.
Named for the historic Greek immigrant community of the early 20th century, the district still has Greek-themed restaurants. Notable buildings include Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral, St. Mary Roman Catholic Church (originally built for the former ethnic German congregation of the parish), Second Baptist Church, the Atheneum Suite Hotel, and the contemporary Hollywood Casino at Greektown (formerly Trapper's Alley, opened in 1972 by Frances and David Sonne) within its boundaries. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[1] The district is the site of the annual Detroit Greek Independence Day Parade.[2]
History
The area known today as Greektown was first settled in the 1830s by German immigrants, who created a primarily residential neighborhood in the area.[3] However, in the earliest years of the 20th century, most of the ethnic German residents, who had gotten established in the city, began moving from the neighborhood into newer residential areas farther from downtown.[3] As they left, a new wave of Greek immigrants moved into this older housing. Theodore Gerasimos was the first documented Greek immigrant in Detroit.[3] The newly arrived Greeks soon established their own businesses in the neighborhood.
By the 1920s, the area was developing more commercial structures, and the Greek residents began moving out in turn to newer housing. But the restaurants, stores, and coffeehouses they established remained.[3] The next thirty years brought a melange of immigrants to the few residential spaces left in the neighborhood. Redevelopment in the 1960s led to the neighborhood becoming the site of new municipal buildings and parking.[3]
Realizing the culturally significant neighborhood was at risk, Detroit's ethnic Greek leaders banded together. With the help of the Mayor's office, the streetscape and building exteriors were improved, and additional street lighting was installed.[4] The neighborhood threw a Greek festival in 1966, timed to coincide with Fourth of July celebrations.[4] The festival was a success, and was continued for years until turnout grew too large.[4] By that time, Greektown was firmly established in Detroit. The Greektown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
Changes continue, and as of June 2012 only three full-fledged Greek restaurants remain in Greektown.[5] The neighborhood is a popular restaurant and entertainment district, having many restaurants that serve authentic Greek cuisine, and one of the city's three casinos, Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Certain buildings on Monroe Street feature themes related to the mythical Pegasus, and such historic Greek structures as the Parthenon, and other ancient architecture. Greek music is played on Monroe Street throughout the day. Well-known restaurants include The Golden Fleece, Bakaliko Cafe, Pegasus Taverna, and Fishbone's Rhythm Kitchen Cafe. The Detroit People Mover has a station at the Hollywood Casino on Beaubien Street between Monroe Street and Lafayette Boulevard.
In popular culture
Greektown is featured in the video game Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition (2005).
In the American cable TV series Low Winter Sun (2013), the Detroit Police precinct is located four blocks from Greektown. Maya and Damon "kick up" tributes from her bar and from their drug and prostitution earnings to Skelos, Greektown's main crime lord. Seeking to gain independence from Skelos, Damon opens a blind pig outside of Greektown, where he kicks up to Reverend Lowdown (season 1, episodes 3 and 4).
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Detroit Greek Independence Day Parade". www.greekparades.com. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "Greektown Historic District". National Park Service.
- ^ a b c "Greektown history". Greektown casino.
- ^ Allan Lengel (June 24, 2012). "The Greektown We Knew is Gone". Deadline Detroit.
External links
- Greektown Merchants Association
- v
- t
- e
- Broadway Avenue Historic District
- Capitol Park Historic District
- Detroit Financial District
- Detroit International Riverfront
- Grand Circus Park Historic District
- Greektown
- Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District
- Mexicantown
- Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
- Park Avenue Historic District
- Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District
- Washington Boulevard Historic District
Primary and secondary schools | |
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Other education |
and complexes
- 150 West Jefferson
- Ally Detroit Center
- Book Tower
- Broderick Tower
- Buhl Building
- Cadillac Place
- Cadillac Square Building (demolished)
- Cadillac Tower
- Chrysler House
- David Whitney Building
- Detroit Life Building
- Executive Plaza Building
- Federal Reserve Building
- First National Building
- Fisher Building
- Ford Building
- Fort Pontchartrain Hotel
- Francis Palms Building
- Guardian Building
- Hudson's Detroit (under construction)
- Industrial Building
- Lafayette Building (demolished)
- Michigan Central Station
- Millender Center
- One Campus Martius
- One Griswold Street
- One Kennedy Square
- One Woodward Avenue
- Penobscot Building
- Renaissance Center
- Riverfront Condominiums Detroit
- David Stott Building
- Westin Book Cadillac Hotel
- Meridian Health Plan Headquarters (proposed)
- Detroit Statler Hotel (demolished)
- Water Board Building
- Wurlitzer Building, a former Wurlitzer office building
- Belle Isle
- Campus Martius Park
- Water Works Park (closed)
- Comerica Park
- Detroit Athletic Club
- Detroit Building
- Detroit City Hall (demolished)
- Detroit Opera House
- Detroit Public Safety Headquarters
- Detroit Club (defunct, but building still there)
- Elwood Bar
- Farwell Building
- The Fillmore Detroit
- Ford Auditorium (demolished)
- Ford Field
- Fort Shelby Hotel
- Fort Street Presbyterian Church
- Fox Theatre
- Frank Murphy Hall of Justice
- Gem Theatre
- Griswold Building Senior Apartments
- Hollywood Casino
- Huntington Place
- Joe Louis Arena (demolished)
- Kennedy Fountain, a/k/a Kennedy Square (demolished)
- MGM Grand Detroit
- Park Avenue House
- Town Apartments
- Veterans' Memorial Building (demolished)
- Wayne County Building
- William Livingstone Memorial Light, only marble lighthouse in the United States, located on Belle Isle
- Women's City Club
- Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
- University Club
- Yondotega Club
stations
- Broadway
- Bricktown
- Cadillac Center
- Financial District
- Fort/Cass
- Grand Circus Park
- Greektown
- Huntington Place
- Michigan Avenue
- Millender Center
- Renaissance Center
- Times Square
- West Riverfront
The Michigan State University College of Law was in Downtown Detroit prior to 1997 and was known as the "Detroit College of Law."