Here stands Lafayette Park. What if I told you that this park is more than just green space? It’s a testament to urban renewal. It is also a symbol of complex history.
Lafayette Park, located east of Downtown Detroit, covers 0.37 square miles. Approximately 4,900 people call this neighborhood home. The northern section of Lafayette Park is a National Historic Landmark District. It was planned and partially built in the 1950s by the renowned architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.
Lafayette Park consists of two superblocks. These superblocks combine low and high-density housing. This design was favored by the Federal Housing Administration after World War II. The first phase included developments like the Pavilion Apartments and Mies Van der Rohe Townhouses.
In 1963, the Lafayette Park Development Association consolidated various developments. This unified the area under the single name Lafayette Park. A greenway runs through the center of the development. It is known by different names in different sections.
Although Lafayette Park is strongly associated with Mies van der Rohe, other architects also played significant roles. Gunnar Birkerts and John Macsai contributed to the south half of the neighborhood.
Several factors led to the creation of Lafayette Park. FHA policies after World War II promoted slum clearance. Detroit lacked land for development, limiting property tax revenue. Walter Reuther, of the United Auto Workers, prioritized mixed-income housing.
However, the selection of this site came at a cost. Lafayette Park replaced Detroit’s Black Bottom. This was a vibrant African-American neighborhood with a rich history. Black Bottom had a high proportion of renters and low property tax revenue. This made it a target for redevelopment.
The Citizens Redevelopment Corporation began acquiring and demolishing property in 1948. Many original residents were relocated. By 1967, 78 acres had been cleared. The city later implemented similar programs in other neighborhoods.
Initially, Minoru Yamasaki, Victor Gruen, and Oscar Stonorov were commissioned to create a site plan. Their initial design involved 20 high-rise towers and several dozen townhouses. However, the project could not find funding as mixed-income housing.
In 1956, Herbert Greenwald proposed to develop the project as middle-income housing. He insisted on using Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as the principal architect. Mies brought in Ludwig Hilberseimer and Alfred Caldwell. They served as site planner and landscape architect, respectively.
The original site plan featured five 22-story high-rises and four smaller square ones. Numerous townhouses were concealed by tree cover. The plan was repeatedly changed throughout Mies’ involvement.
Following Greenwald’s death in 1959, the Habitat Companies finished the project. The final Mies-designed project was Lafayette Towers. These towers were connected by a central garage.
HUD mandated the inclusion of a shopping center in new developments. Greenwald’s partners built the Towers Plaza. The shopping center’s appearance was later changed to resemble the Mies townhouses.
Roughly contemporaneously with Lafayette Towers, other parcels in the Gratiot Redevelopment were developed. These included Cherboneau North and South, Chateaufort, and Regency Court.
In 1960, Morton Scholnick engaged Gunnar Birkerts to design an ultra-luxury apartment building. 1300 Lafayette East featured two slabs offset along a central corridor. Shortly after, Scholnick engaged John Macsai to design Navarre Place.
Civil disturbances in 1967 halted the construction of Navarre Place. Construction resumed in 1968. Rochdale Court, a senior living development, was demolished in 2002.
1300 Lafayette East was a symbol of the good life in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was the setting for a scene in Elmore Leonard’s City Primeval.
Lafayette Park stands as a reminder of Detroit’s past. It embodies architectural innovation and urban planning. It sparks conversations about community, displacement, and the meaning of progress. As you wander through Lafayette Park, consider the layers of history beneath your feet. Think about the people who shaped this place.