The West Canfield Historic District is a neighborhood historic district located primarily on Canfield Avenue between Second and Third Streets in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. A boundary increase enlarged the district to include buildings on Third Avenue between Canfield and Calumet. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1970 and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1971; a boundary increase was added in 1997. The revitalized 1870s era neighborhood is one of the residential areas surrounding the city's

Cultural Center Historic District The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center (or Cultural Center): the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Educatio ...

in Midtown.Gentile, Mike (June 22, 2010
Block profile: Historic West Canfield in Midtown
''Model D Media''. Retrieved September 5, 2011. Nearby, East Canfield Avenue leads to the

Detroit Medical Center The Detroit Medical Center (DMC) is a for-profit alliance of hospitals that encompasses over 2,000 licensed beds, 3,000 affiliated physicians and over 12,000 employees. Located in Midtown Detroit, the DMC is affiliated with medical schools from Wa ...

complex, the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

styled St. Josaphat's Catholic Church, and the Gothic revival styled Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church.

History

The area around the West Canfield Historic District was once owned by Lewis Cass, an early governor of Michigan.West Canfield Historic District
from the city of Detroit When he died in 1866, his two daughters inherited his holdings.
from Detroit1701.org Three years later, they divided the property, with Cass's daughter Mary receiving the portion where the West Canfield Historic District is now located. Mary's husband was Captain August Canfield, a graduate of West Point and a major investor in the construction of the

ship canal A ship canal is a canal especially intended to accommodate ships used on the oceans, seas, or lakes to which it is connected. Definition Ship canals can be distinguished from barge canals, which are intended to carry barges and other vessel ...

at Sault Ste. Marie. In 1871, Mary Cass Canfield subdivided her land, naming Canfield Avenue in honor of her husband. The street was populated by prosperous attorneys, physicians, dentists, architects, and other professionals. Construction continued into the 1880s. The street remained a prime residential location in Detroit for decades. In the 1930s, the Great Depression led to a decline in the neighborhood. In the 1960s, the neighborhood was revitalized and the historic streetscape was restored. New residents have continued to maintain and revitalize the vibrant Midtown neighborhood in the 21st century.

Architecture

In the early 1870s, numerous brick Queen Anne homes were constructed along Canfield, on spacious lots with generous setbacks. The original platting specified that each lot would measure 50 by 190 feet, and that there would be "a 30 foot setback for sidewalk, shrubbery, and ornamental purposes."West Canfield Historic District
from the National Park Service In the early 1980s, the street was narrowed and returned to its original 1870s design with granite pavers, reproduction street lamps were installed, trees were planted, and grassy medians were added. In 1970, the District received state and local historical designation, the first district so recognized in the city. The district was placed on the

the following year. In 1997, District was expanded to include three buildings on Third Street: one additional Queen Anne style residence and two Victorian commercial buildings. In the new millennium, the vibrant neighborhood has experienced many renovations.

References

{{Cass Farm Multiple Property Submission Historic districts in Detroit Midtown Detroit Neighborhoods in Detroit Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Michigan State Historic Sites in Wayne County, Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit