Woodbridge Historic District - History

History

Woodbridge is notable as an intact neighborhood of architecturally significant buildings, with an important effect on the history of Detroit. The neighborhood has largely escaped the redevelopment efforts that have obliterated many of Detroit's other historical neighborhoods, and the neighborhood stands as a rare survivor from the Victorian era.

The neighborhood is named for William Woodbridge, governor of Michigan in 1840-41, who owned a large farm on which much of the neighborhood was subsequently built. Most of the structures within the neighborhood were built after 1870, beginning with modest cottages. Larger structures were built later, including the James Scripps house (now demolished, and turned into a city park) built in 1879. The Eighth Precinct Police Station, built in 1901, was architecturally designed to blend in with the lavish upper-class homes in the neighborhood.

As the automotive industry boomed, there was an increased demand for housing in the city of Detroit, and new buildings and apartment houses were constructed behind and between the existing homes in the neighborhood. During World War II, owners rented rooms and divided homes into apartments to house defense industry workers.