Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District - History

History

The Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District contains thirty-four commercial buildings built at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth, many by noted architects. By the 1920s, this area of the city was one of the most active shopping districts in the nation; in 1925, the State and Woodward interseation was the most active pedestrian crossing corner in the U.S.

Many famous and historic Detroit businesses either began or had flagship stores in or near the district, including Vernors, Sanders Confectionery, Winkelman's, S.S. Kresge Co., F. W. Woolworth Company, and Hudson's. New retail has emerged in the district. In 2011, the Forbes Company which owns the upscale Somerset Collection mall in the suburb of Troy debuted a group of seasonal pop-up mini-shops called Somerset Collection CityLoft on Merchant's Row as part of 'Downtown Detroit Days', generally open the last Thursday through Saturday of the month from June through August, and occasionally September.

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