Legendary Detroit. How he really lives. Detroit, a dead city Detroit's annual population is
American photographer Jennifer Garza-Kuen spent the winter in Detroit. Over the course of several decades, the large industrial center fell into ruins and lost almost its entire working-age population. Destroyed skyscrapers, houses lushly overgrown with greenery, long-out of tune pianos - it seems that life has long left this place. But even if Detroit is dead, some of its residents are still here.
In the mid-50s, Detroit competed with New York and New Orleans in the number of skyscrapers, and in 1980 it was already first in unemployment, poverty and infant mortality and began to bear the title of the most dangerous and disadvantaged city in the United States.
In the summer of 1967, state police raided an illegal bar in Detroit. Police clashes with visitors to the establishment and random passers-by escalated into mass riots that lasted five days. During this time, the townspeople looted 2.5 thousand retail outlets, destroyed 400 houses, and another 500 buildings had to be demolished due to severe damage. Total damage exceeded $65 million. The riot marked the starting point of Detroit's decline: thousands of small businesses decided to move their production to safer locations.
At the same time, the market was gradually moving towards automated production, and the demand for physical strength began to fall sharply. Thousands of people were left without work. The oil crisis of 1973 hit automobile giants such as Chrysler, Ford and General Motors hard: gasoline became more expensive, and thirsty American cars could not compete with small-capacity Japanese and European models.
The city stopped building new housing, and the outflow of residents did not stop. Entire areas were left devastated. Abandoned buildings attracted drug dealers, vandals and street criminals.
The city stopped building new housing, and the outflow of residents did not stop.
Detroit is one of the few cities in the United States that over the past 50 years has lost almost two-thirds of its working-age population - about 1.2 million people. In 2013, it became the first bankrupt city in US history with a foreign debt of $18.5 billion.
Detroit became a kind of symbol and omen of the end of the American empire.
Detroit is a place that has gone through an active phase of self-erasure, transience and loss, and this feeling is built into the psyche of those who live in the city or pass through. Detroit also became a kind of symbol and omen of the end of the American empire.
I wanted to convey the contradictions and complexity of Detroit in my project. This is still a living city, which to some extent was destroyed by the prosperity of past years.
All my work explores American mythology. I am interested in ideas that have transformed in our culture to the point that they have come to define who we are as individuals and as a people. Each of us is shaped by where we grew up - especially mythologized places, and Detroit is certainly one of those.
For a long time, Detroit seemed to be experiencing a serious illness. It is not the only such city in the United States, but it has long remained a showcase of urban decay and a household name.
In 2012, the city found itself on the verge of bankruptcy - this was influenced by several factors at once: racial segregation, outflow of the white population, corruption, aggressive national and even international capitalism.
Many of the buildings in which I photographed were abandoned long ago. Inside I found a lot of documents and personal belongings. At first I simply took pictures of these artifacts, but then I started raking through heaps of dusty garbage and taking out certain objects from them. I became not only a photographer, but also an archivist and custodian of other people's memories. And also a thief, scavenger and archaeologist.
The hardest part was filming inside skyscrapers in the middle of winter: some of them had no water or electricity for a long time.
The hardest part was filming inside skyscrapers in the middle of winter: some of them had no water or electricity for a long time. At the same time, restored hotels and shops could easily be located next to such buildings. And in some places there were even construction crews working, trying to make the skyscrapers look attractive again.
In recent years, Detroit has become a model for urban regeneration projects. He is, to some extent, a phoenix that will sooner or later be reborn from the ashes. The city's motto after the fire of 1805 became the phrase “Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus" - "We hope for the best, and the best will rise from the ashes."
It is not the only such city in the United States, but it has long remained a showcase of urban decay and a household name.
There were times when Detroit's population exceeded 1.8 million. Today, three times less live here - 681,090 people. The year 1805 was a tragic milestone for the city - Detroit almost completely burned out.
Detroit is in the top ten most criminal cities in the world and consistently leads in similar US ratings.
However, not everything is so gloomy! A famous rapper was born and raised here Eminem. Francis Ford Coppola, director of the “Godfather” film trilogy, is also from Detroit. From here the musical style spread throughout the world " techno" All the most important automotive events for the United States take place in Detroit! It was here that the first affordable family car was created ( Ford model T), A Henry Ford founded Ford Motor Company and opened his first factory. Thanks to Detroit for the cream soda too.
Renting in Detroit
Housing and rental prices here are indecently low! However, rumors that you can buy a two-story country house for $100–200 should not be believed. Just a couple of years ago, at special auctions it was possible to find a house for $500 - but to equip such housing, it would have taken another ten thousand. Now the most budget option will cost about $1.5 thousand (but still without repairs).
Jobs in Detroit
Here is the answer to the surprised looks caused by real estate prices. More than half of Detroit's buildings are abandoned. The unemployment rate reaches 20%. Crime and poverty rule the streets.
Many houses lack running water and electricity. Salaries at factories are meager. Young people are increasingly choosing crime.
What happened to Detroit
The beginning of the 20th century was Detroit's finest hour. Then there was an economic boom in mechanical engineering. Not only Henry Ford, but also corporations decided to settle in the Motor City General Motors And Chrysler, collectively referred to as the "Big Three".
Almost every family had a car. Public transport was considered inconvenient and unprestigious. The infrastructure developed rapidly, every millimeter of the city flourished - everyone, except for the public transport sector. Which later played a cruel joke on Detroit.
The car equaled freedom of movement. Why not move out of town in this case? Most Detroiters did just that.
With budget cuts, the city began to fade. At the beginning of the 60s, the changes were still imperceptible, but then - more. Only those who had no money to move remained within the city limits, and the middle class and elite left Detroit.
The city was completely deserted after the oil crisis in 1973. There is less gasoline - there is nothing to refuel the car with, and as we remember, the situation with public transport is no good. The authorities were shocked by such a rapid extinction, because this was the first such case in American history.
Fewer people - the city's economic turnover is falling - jobs are being cut - hello, unemployment. Salaries are meager, crime is high.
Today, Detroit looks like a setting for the filming of a post-apocalyptic action movie. The world's population is growing rapidly, but not here.
The business center of the city is in the best condition (as far as possible in the current situation). Skyscrapers, where thousands of clerks rush to work every day, shops and shopping centers are functioning.
The corporate headquarters of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler are still in place, which helps the city stay on its feet.
Important
At night in Detroit you need to be at home, behind all the locks. The streets are empty early, and civilization goes to sleep. With twilight, crime wakes up in Detroit.
Home to the headquarters of automotive giants Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, there are more than 70,000 abandoned buildings and 30,000 empty homes, as well as one of the highest unemployment and crime rates in the United States. Welcome to Detroit!
We continue to talk about our car in a joint project with “Crown Techno”.
Detroit is a city in the northern United States, in the state of Michigan. It became the second border city on our trip route - the Canadian city of Windsor is located on the other side of the Detroit River, and the navigator persistently suggested that we take a detour through the neighboring country.
The original plan was to “walk around some abandoned area and talk to the locals.” At the same time, you don’t need to look particularly hard for abandoned buildings in Detroit - they are everywhere.
We chose the North End area, located closer to the north of the city. Half-empty streets, spray-painted houses with broken windows and groups of gloomy African-Americans discouraged us from any desire to walk along the promenade or even get out of the car. So the plan had to be changed.
To coordinate further actions, we decided to stop at a diner nearby. “There are a lot of shops and a police station nearby,” we thought. But even in such a place it was, to put it mildly, creepy. Including, apparently, the remains of some large building.
Judging by Google maps, this place has been in this form since at least 2015.
Photo taken using Samsung Galaxy S8 The sudden cry of the saleswoman in the diner turned out to be a conversation with newly arrived customers, and the food was much worse in quality than what we were used to buying in a similar chain in Belarus.
It was the first time during our trip that we ate in an establishment that was exclusively African-American. They were as surprised by this fact as we were, and looked at us closely. Such attention made us want to quickly get into the car and drive away, which is what we did.
We're leaving. In the background is another abandoned building. Looks like some kind of workshop Later we learned that the diner was not in Detroit, but in the city of Highland Park - a kind of enclave almost in the center of Detroit (this is quite possible in America).
This settlement is interesting because in the first half of the last century, Ford and Chrysler factories were located here, which later closed. According to Wikipedia, the current population of the town inside Detroit is about 11,700 people, 93.5% of whom are African-American and 3.2% are white.
In general, the history of Detroit and its current situation are closely related to the rise of the US automobile and military industries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, this American city became a major automotive industrial center. In 1941, the Detroit Tank Arsenal of the Chrysler Corporation was built here, which at that time became the largest tank-building enterprise in the world. Together with Ford, General Motors and other American giants, Detroit was at that time a large military-industrial conglomerate and at the same time the “automotive capital of the world.”
In the early 1950s, the US government promoted a program of cheap and widely available cars, and Detroit literally flourished, becoming one of the richest cities in North America. At that time, 1.85 million people lived in the city, and then its decline began.
Thanks to universal motorization, wealthy residents and qualified engineers began to leave Detroit, buying housing in comfortable suburban neighborhoods. This left poorer families, typically African-American, in the center.
The situation continued to worsen in the 1960s and 1970s. Major military conflicts ceased, and oil and energy crises led to the relocation of automobile production to South Korea, China, Taiwan and Japan. Detroit fell into decline, many of its factories closed, and the population continued to leave the city, leaving behind abandoned areas.
As of 2015, only 677 thousand residents remained in the city, or 37% of the 1950 population. Detroit has the highest unemployment rate of the nation's 50 largest cities, according to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. Almost a quarter of the population does not work here - 23.1%.
Additionally, Detroit ranked last among 71 U.S. cities in the percentage of city residents living below the poverty line, at 36.4%.
The inscription on the sign: “Help a war veteran” So it's no surprise that Detroit has one of the highest crime rates in the country. In 2012, the city's homicide rate was 53 per 100,000 population, which is 10 times higher than in New York. In recent years, Forbes has repeatedly named Detroit one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.
This place with 70 thousand abandoned buildings and 30 thousand empty houses is often called a “ghost town”. Everything here is like in Hollywood films about bad neighborhoods. Cars with broken windows and dented sides, homeless people with carts and a huge number of abandoned houses. And it's practically in the city center.
There was once a school here Often neighborhoods are not completely empty. Some of the houses may be inhabited—we don’t know whether it’s legal or illegal. In such places you can find parked cars.
Every now and then we had to stop to take a photo. But not for long, given the views of those “filming” the empty homes. In some ways this place reminded me of the abandoned city of Pripyat near Chernobyl. The only thing missing is the trees growing through the roofs.
Not only single residential buildings, but also entire high-rise buildings, shops, schools and churches were abandoned. We wouldn't risk coming here at night.
There are advertisements for renting or selling houses everywhere. Here you can rent an entire house for $500 a month—consider it a good “three ruble” in Minsk.
In the area where we visited, houses were initially (in 2005) sold for 130-140 thousand dollars. Now you can buy them for less than 5 thousand. But judging by what we saw, there are few people willing.
We were afraid to go inside unaccompanied - it was unclear who we could meet there, especially considering that in America it is legal to carry weapons.
Not only inexpensive-looking houses are empty in Detroit, but also apparently “rich” homes. But it is unlikely that they can be sold to anyone.
Here we say goodbye to uncomfortable and half-empty Detroit. But ours continues, and Chicago is next. Read the first report from the “windy city” next Monday. And all the materials in the series are collected on.
Detroit is located in the northeastern part of the United States, on the border with Canada. Just a few decades ago it was the “Motor City” and the “Automotive Capital of the World”, and now it is a “ghost city”, where more than 100 thousand buildings are empty or are being prepared for demolition. But despite this, Detroit is one of the most famous places in the United States and restoration work is now being carried out here to attract new residents.
Detroit is a 300 year old ghost town. Compared to other “big” American cities, it is relatively young.
Detroit has come a long way from a small Canadian community, to a major trade hub on the Great Lakes, and then from a mega-revenue auto manufacturing capital of the world to a city that collapsed during bankruptcy and has the highest crime and unemployment rates in the United States.
Base
Detroit's history begins in the early 18th century, when clergyman Louis Hennepin was traveling up the Detroit River and noticed that one of the banks would be an excellent site for a colony. The French needed to strengthen their position in the region, so they looked for the most advantageous place to organize trade between nearby French settlements and Indian tribes.
Some time later, the Frenchman Antoine Lome was sent to explore the area around the coast, following Hennepin's notes. After assessing the area, a fort was founded on the north bank of the Detroit River in 1701, becoming one of the largest French settlements on American soil, which later became the city of Detroit.
Monument to Antoine Lome in Detroit - a ghost town
But during the Anglo-French war in the middle of the 18th century, Detroit was handed over to the British, and already in 1796 it became part of a new country called the USA.
19th century
Due to its favorable location, Detroit became an important part of the Great Lakes trade route system, and shipbuilding was the basis of the city's economy and further prosperity. Due to its designation as the state capital in 1805, the number of local residents grew rapidly and the city entered a "golden age".
In the second half of the 19th century, on the initiative of the wealthy population of Detroit, many buildings and luxurious mansions with unique architecture were erected, and thanks to Washington Boulevard, illuminated by Edison light bulbs, the city received its second name - “Paris of the West.”
XX century
At the beginning of the 20th century, Henry Ford established production and launched the Ford Model T, a car for the whole family. Following the slogan “a car for everyone,” these cars ceased to be a luxury item, because every second family in the city had at least one Model T in the garage. 
A few years later, Detroit adopted a plan to build highways and interchanges to meet the need for roads, because even then there were too many cars and the narrow streets of the sprawling city could not cope with the huge traffic.
The construction of a complex road system contributed to the outflow of skilled workers to the suburbs, away from the endless bustle of the city, exhaust fumes and the endless flow of cars.
During the Cold War with the USSR, starting from World War II, the mechanical engineering industry in Detroit experienced greater prosperity. In 1941, Chrysler built the world's largest tank arsenal.
In order to quickly satisfy the state's need for tanks, the first highway in the United States was built through Detroit, after which the city was called the “Arsenal of Democracy.”
It developed rapidly and experienced a shortage of workers, which made the 50s the best years in Detroit's history. The number of residents crossed the 1.9 million mark, and the city flourished, becoming the richest in North America. 
This was accompanied by an influx of black residents from the south. After racial equality was established, discrimination eased, but the problem did not disappear. Already in 1943, the tense situation escalated into a race riot, when more than 40 people died, most of whom were African Americans.
The heyday, along with the city's "Golden Age", began to fade in the 70s. Government orders for the purchase of military equipment were significantly reduced due to the signing of numerous peace treaties that ended the participation of the US Army in military conflicts in Southeast Asia. 
The city's profits fell sharply, and the sudden appearance of Japanese competitors forced American manufacturers out of the European market. The city was increasingly mired in endless strikes by workers who were not paid. Large companies were forced to do something and increasingly thought about radical solutions to most of their problems.
Beginning of decline
The entry into the 80s was marked by the largest energy crisis of the century. Japanese and European small cars flooded the market at a tremendous pace, and American cars, requiring a lot of fuel and expensive transportation across the ocean, stopped selling.
And most large companies decided to leave the city, close factories and move their main facilities to the Asian region, leaving only their headquarters in Detroit.
In the blink of an eye, more than half of Detroit's residents lost their jobs. The outflow of residents to the suburbs, which began back in the 50s, turned into a mass exodus. 
Due to a decrease in solvency and the departure of the bulk of people, shops, banks and private clinics began to close. The only people who did not leave the city were those who could not afford the move, the majority of whom were the black population.
Tensions also increased because the US House passed a law abolishing racial segregation, which sharply increased the number of interracial clashes on the city streets. Poverty and lack of jobs have given rise to rampant crime and drug trafficking. 
In just a few years, the huge industrial metropolis topped the list of the most dangerous cities in the country. The climax came shortly after the factories closed, when the conflict between the black and white populations escalated into the most violent riots in US history, lasting almost a week. 
Soon dubbed the “12th Street Riot,” it lasted a week and claimed hundreds of lives, including the lives of firefighters trying to put out the burning city. As a result of all these events, Detroit faced an era of deep decline. By the end of the 20th century, the city's population had decreased by 2.5 times, and the devastation and too high crime rate did not allow it to bloom again with new colors.
XXI Century
With the advent of the new millennium, the US government was still cold about Detroit's problems. Small financial injections only helped to stop the slow decomposition of the city, and it was impossible to attract additional investments.
City investors refused to invest their money in a dying place with slim chances for a successful future. Despite this, at the beginning of the 20th century, Detroit was still able to recover a little from the horrors of the past and show more or less stable development reports, but this did not last long.
The next economic crisis in 2008 completely destroyed the automobile industry and the largest companies FORD and GM went completely bankrupt.
After this, due to the impossibility of paying debts of more than $20 billion, the city authorities submitted the necessary papers, and in mid-2013, Detroit became the largest city in history to file for bankruptcy. 
It is generally accepted that after declaring bankruptcy in 2013 and electing Mike Duggan as mayor, Detroit has entered a new era and a new history of the city is being written. The newly elected mayor, during one of his addresses to citizens, urged them not to leave Detroit, because financial proceeds from the federal fund could help the city and, as a result, a bright future awaits it.
Now, the central areas of the city are gradually being put in order. Old dilapidated buildings are being demolished, areas are being cleared for the construction of museums, parking lots and farm plots.
Downtown Detroit is still sparsely populated, but the crime rate here is quite low. This place remains a collection of a large number of historical and cultural buildings of the last century, attracting tourists from all over the world to the city. The main part of the ring around the center is inhabited predominantly by black residents. The areas remain decadent, criminal ghettos. 
Drug trafficking is still thriving here, robberies are active, and gangs of vandals are operating here. Although in recent years, the police have reported a significant decrease in the number of crimes, almost halving, Detroit remains one of the most dangerous cities in the United States.
Why did Detroit become a ghost town?
Detroit's ghost town, with more than 80,000 properties for sale, is a prime example of dramatic urban decline. The main reason for such a rapid decline is considered to be deindustrialization, during which most of the factories that feed more than half of Detroit residents were closed.
The process began back in the 70s, when it was announced that the largest factories of the giants Ford, GM and Chrysler were closing. The city, whose profit from these factories was about 80%, was doomed to death. Residents fled Detroit en masse, leaving entire neighborhoods empty. Most of the houses were abandoned to fate, because no one wanted to buy them. 
Solvent residents were leaving, apartments were greatly devalued, and Detroit was filled mainly with black immigrants from the southern states. After the adoption of the law concerning racial equality, they were settled in the center under a special government program. African Americans increasingly displaced white residents, and the confrontation intensified.
Naturally, the city fell into decay, and the population so rapidly rushed to leave it, not only because of the departure of the automotive giants and interethnic conflicts. Modern analysts and economists have identified, in addition to this, 3 more the most important reasons for the decline of the richest US city of the 20th century:
Detroit rebuilding idea
Detroit is a ghost town, which became such largely due to the reluctance of government authorities to see a way to save this place. Since the beginning of the 21st century, money has been allocated only to prevent the city from disappearing completely.
And only after bankruptcy was declared, when Mike Duggan was appointed mayor: he was able to convince the government that Detroit was an integral part of the formation of American capitalism, which must be preserved.
The newly elected mayor continued the initiatives of his predecessor, but with financial support from the state. The overhaul plan included razing the eastern quarter of the city to the ground and moving families downtown to facilitate city services, schools, and street lighting. 
At the initiative of the mayor, old buildings are demolished, turning into new museums, motels or city gardens. But the most important thing is the work of the authorities on the public transport system, which is designed to reduce the number of cars on the streets and the huge need for parking areas.
How is the US government planning for Detroit's revitalization?
In recent years, the US government has allocated huge amounts of money to rebuild Detroit. 100 million a year goes to the treasury only for the demolition of old buildings.
Much of this is due to the current mayor, who has truly brought the city to a renaissance, but there have been attempts to lift it off its knees before. There were few of them, but for general appearance, the Senate put some initiatives into action.
- The first attempt to revive Detroit's economy was a plan to build several casinos in the early 21st century. The idea was not bad, but the city, only taking a breath of fresh air, fell into even greater decline after the global economic crisis of 2008.
- By government decree in 2013, the southwestern part was given over to Mexican immigrants for settlement. The experience was considered successful, because new residential buildings were built in the areas and small businesses were opened.
- One of the representatives of Congress, in 2015, put forward the idea of populating Detroit with Syrian refugees to increase the city's working population. The snag was the problem of assimilation and this did not progress beyond talk.
- The government approved a greening bill for Detroit in 2016, allowing non-profit organizations to develop on the city's east side. The areas are filled with new residential buildings, art studios and parks are being built.
The importance of Detroit in the modern world
Detroit is a ghost town that attracts special attention from creative people. The oppressive atmosphere and special demographic situation have helped many famous musicians achieve success, who in their songs dedicated to the city make it clear that everything is thanks to hardening in the most terrible places in the USA. 
Now, the city is beginning to bloom with new colors and looks completely different from 10 years ago. Detroit is an icon of capitalism, which has a special place in the modern history of American culture.
Population dynamics
The latest census says people haven't stopped leaving Detroit. But since the election of its current mayor in 2013, the trend points to a decline in the number of people leaving.
| Census | Residents | +/- |
| 1960 | 1670144 | — |
| 1970 | 1514064 | -9,3% |
| 1980 | 1203368 | -20,5% |
| 1990 | 1027974 | -14,6% |
| 2000 | 951270 | -7,5% |
| 2010 | 713777 | -25% |
| Current | 681090 | -4,6% |
Transport
Detroit's transportation system was considered severely outdated, even in its heyday. Now the mayor's office is trying in every possible way to revitalize the city streets and get rid of the need for parking spaces. Transport lines are being redeveloped and rebuilt, because Detroit is the largest hub between Canada and the United States. 
The main problem – the lack of public transport – is being actively addressed. Several bus routes operated in the city until 2015; now there are 8 of them. Also in 2017, a 12 km long tram line was opened, passing through the central areas.
In the near future, city authorities plan to expand the tram network threefold, which will extend to the newly rebuilt areas of Detroit. This should help reduce the role of the car in city life.
Climate
Detroit's temperate climate allows you to count on short, warm winters and long, hot summers. The city's proximity to the Great Lakes greatly softens it. The average temperature in winter is −3.6 °C, in summer +23.1 °C.
Buildings and constructions
Most of Detroit's buildings were destroyed due to constant pogroms and arson or demolished under a government program. Many areas of the city look like an absolutely wild area where nothing has ever existed. It holds the lead on the list of the most destroyed cities in the United States. 
Significant buildings for history have stood abandoned for many years. Only the central part of the city with its skyscrapers looks presentable. But even in them only the first few floors are open, rented out for shops. 
Since 2016, large companies have been gradually returning to the city and the first step for them is to improve the surrounding areas, including the restoration of memorial buildings that are most important to the history of Detroit.
Economy
Among the largest cities in the United States, Detroit has the highest unemployment rate.
According to the Ministry of Labor, more than 25% of the population is disabled or unemployed.
The general situation of the city begins a rapid movement towards stability, after declaring bankruptcy in 2013, writing off debts of 20 billion. At the moment, in order to attract investors to Detroit, restoration work is constantly underway, laws are being passed and a completely new place is being built, taking into account the mistakes of the past.
- Since the time of the 12th Street riots, the so-called “Devil's Night” has been held in Detroit. Once a year, young people take to the streets, burning old non-residential buildings. Many US cities have adopted this strange tradition.
- During the period of Prohibition, Detroit actually belonged to the mafia, which had its own man at the top of the board. Three-quarters of the turnover of illegal alcoholic beverages passed through it.
- More than 80% of the city's population is black.
- A subway has been built in Detroit, but the platforms and track are mostly above ground.
Experiencing its rebirth, Detroit has a vast experience of failures behind it, from which the current mayor learns. The city has undergone an incredible transformation in just the last few years, and the entire American people are looking forward to the adjective “ghost town” finally disappearing from the name of the greatest city of the 20th century.
Article format: Vladimir the Great
Video about Detroit
Heads and Tails in Detroit:
What was once America's most prosperous city now represents the failed American dream. In the 20th century, Detroit became the largest center of the automobile industry. But in the second half of the century, due to the gasoline crisis, the population (mostly white) began to leave, factories closed, and the city gradually turned into the ghost that it largely remains today.
Today there will be an interesting review from the series what happened and what happened. Let's also remember the history of Detroit.
Packard-Nord factory, 1930. From 1958 to 1999 the area was used as an industrial park. Tenants included the US Army, a toy warehouse, several auto parts companies and a large department store warehouse. In 1999, the former factory was seized by the city for failure to pay property taxes and has sat vacant and deteriorating ever since. The building on the left has been demolished. 
The Brush Park area in 1881 and 2013. Brush Park was an upscale neighborhood where Detroit's wealthiest residents settled in the late 19th century. About 20 blocks were built up with expensive mansions. As the city grew in 1900, residents of the mansions began to move elsewhere, and Brush Park gradually became a slum. Today, of the 300 once luxurious houses, only 70 remain. 
The intersection of Woodward Avenue and Gracette Avenue in 1949 and 2013. The 1949 photo shows the Hudson's store building on the right side, which was on that site for 70 years. It was demolished in 1998. 
Grand Circus Park in the '30s and 2013 Grand Circus Park, which is located in downtown Detroit, lost many buildings in the '90s and 2000s. On the left is the Thaller Hotel building, which was demolished in 1992. In the center is the frame supporting the façade of the Adams Theater. The building itself was demolished in 2009. On the right is the Detroit Statler Hotel, demolished in 2005. You may notice that the church spire is in different places in the old and new photos. During the widening of Woodward Avenue in 1936, the Methodist Church's bell tower was moved deeper into the neighborhood. 
The corner of Woodward Avenue and John Ar Street in 1917 and 2013. This part of the city has many old buildings, but most have been extensively remodeled. 
Harper Theater in 1941 and 2013. The building was built in 1939. In 1973, it was bought by the Harpos company, which changed the sign and began using the premises as a venue for heavy metal bands. The company still exists today, but the building is up for sale. 
The area of Jefferson Avenue and Conner Street in 1949 and 2010. In the 1960s, Detroit's population began to decline rapidly. The East Jefferson Avenue area was once home to the city's most important industries, such as Chalmers, Hudson and Continental. The loss of these businesses had a devastating effect on surrounding areas and led to a mass exodus to the suburbs. 
Not all Detroit neighborhoods declined due to “natural” reasons. The local airport's runway expansion project required the purchase of more than one hundred homes located in the immediate vicinity of Coleman Young Airport. The process began in 1994 and proceeded extremely slowly and haphazardly. Some of the houses were purchased and immediately demolished, while the rest were purchased but left standing. As a result, the remaining residents of the area found themselves surrounded by empty buildings and empty lots. Abandoned houses attracted looters, vagrants and arsonists. City services stopped serving the area because... the city has “temporarily” closed its streets to traffic. As a result, the streets began to be overgrown with grass, and garbage began to be dumped on empty lots. Along with the decline of the area, real estate prices also collapsed. Some residents are sure that all this was done intentionally in order to reduce the cost of purchasing the territory. 
Ford-Pickett factory. Henry Ford's first factory building was built in 1904 in midtown Detroit on Pickett Avenue. All the first Ford cars were assembled there, including early modifications of the Model T. With the transition to mass production, the company needed new production facilities. For this purpose, a new factory was built in the Highland Park area, and the Ford-Pickett building was sold to Studebaker in 1910. It later housed a mining company and a laundry. In 2000, the building was purchased and converted into a museum. 
Ford Highland Park. In 1910, Henry Ford moved production of the Model T from its cramped Detroit factory to larger new quarters on Woodward Avenue. The introduction of assembly line assembly in 1913 revolutionized the automotive industry, but soon made the factory's workshops obsolete and inadequate to production needs. To produce the new Ford A model, a new factory was built in River Rouge in 1927; components were produced in the Highland Park workshops, as well as tractors and trucks were assembled. In 1956, part of the buildings was demolished, and the territory was empty until a shopping center was built there in 1997. 
When the first buildings opened in 1903, the Packard factory was one of the most advanced automobile production facilities in the world. During its construction, for the first time among industrial facilities in Detroit, reinforced concrete was used. The entire production complex with an area of 325,000 sq.m. was completed in 1911. Having lost the luxury car market in the post-war period, the company was unable to occupy another niche and curtailed production in 1958. Until the 90s, the premises were used as warehouses. Then they were abandoned. They write that this is the largest abandoned factory in the world. 
Packard South Factory, 1925. Additional buildings were built south of Grand Boulevard. There were warehouses with spare parts, a truck production line and a powerful power plant. 
Packard assembly line, 1941. Partially assembled car bodies move along the bridge over Grand Boulevard. He's in the photo. 
The loss of major manufacturing plants such as Packard, Hudson, and Dodge in the 1950s had a devastating impact on the east side of the city, where most of Detroit's factories were located. St. Albert Catholic Church was the spiritual center of the Poletown neighborhood, once home to more than 40,000 Polish immigrants. The church miraculously survived, but today only a few residents remain of the Polish community, who gather for services only once a month. 
DeSoto Factory. At the corner of Wyoming Street and McGraw Street there was once a large factory that was owned at different times by different owners: Saxon, General Motors and Chrysler. In 1937, Chrysler moved the assembly line of DeSoto cars here, which were produced here until the brand's demise in 1960. Until 2003, glass for Chrysler cars was produced here. In 2011 the factory was demolished. 
Striking workers in front of the Chevrolet transmission and axle factory, 1945. After the end of World War II, Detroit auto workers demanded a 30% increase in wages due to the greatly increased cost of living. When General Motors refused, more than 300 thousand workers went on strike, which lasted 113 days. Conflicts with labor unions in the 1940s and 50s were one of several reasons why auto production moved outside of Detroit. 
Detroit was and still is one of the most segregated cities in America. Blacks lived in Detroit almost from its founding, but before the First World War their numbers were insignificant and they fit into local society without any problems. With the outbreak of the war, black and white residents of the southern states began to arrive in the city, seeking well-paying jobs in the defense industry. The growth of the black population and racial prejudices imported from the south led to the stratification of society and the creation of separate neighborhoods, schools, hotels, etc. for the city's black residents. The photo shows doctors and medical students sitting on the steps of Dunbar Hospital, the first hospital for blacks in Detroit, which was equipped in an ordinary residential building. In white hospitals, blacks could be denied medical care because of their skin color. In 1928, the hospital moved to a larger building and the original building became a museum. In the photo, 1922 and 2012. 
The first major waves of black settlers came to Detroit during World Wars I and II with the rise of war production and the ensuing labor shortage. Black residents of the southern states were lured to the city by the promise of higher wages and a higher standard of living. But they arrived at a time when Detroit was already experiencing a severe housing shortage, which was further exacerbated by a large influx of population. To address the housing shortage, federally funded housing developments called “housing projects” (now called “projects” in New York City) began to be built throughout the city. Initially, they were created along racial lines, with whites and blacks separated. In 1941, the decision to build the Sogiorne Truth housing complex led to widespread protests by local residents who sought to keep blacks out of their white neighborhood. On February 27, 1942, hundreds of whites gathered on Nevada Street to prevent black families from moving into new housing. 
The confrontation quickly turned into numerous fights and brawls. Fortunately, no one was killed. 40 people were injured and more than 200 were arrested. Mostly they were blacks. The move had to be stopped, and city officials began to look for a solution to the problem. 
After a month of deliberation, officials came up with nothing better than to try to transport the blacks again, but with the help of the police. The photo shows vans with the property of displaced people, accompanied by numerous Detroit police officers and Michigan National Guard troops. This time the move passed without incident, but this only further inflamed the situation. 
Just a year later, racial tensions erupted into violence and street unrest. On June 20, 1943, conflict between black and white teenagers on Belle Isle spread to the surrounding neighborhoods and quickly escalated into violent confrontations and numerous robberies. 
On June 21st and 22nd, 1943, Woodward Avenue, which runs through downtown Detroit, was in chaos. Rioters overturned and set fire to cars, looted stores and beat up passersby of the wrong skin color. By the time the riots were finally put down by troops three days later, 34 people were dead and hundreds wounded. 
Street fighting in Brush Park. In the photo, a crowd of whites burns a black man's car, and the police try to disperse them with tear gas. 
In July 1967, racial tensions again erupted into widespread violence. This happened after an unsuccessful raid by the Detroit Police Department on one of the illegal bars on 12th Street. Areas of the city were hit by a wave of riots, looting and arson that lasted for four days. The photo shows the very beginning of the riot and the crowds of looters who rob stores on 12th Street. 
As city officials lost control of the situation, arson and looting spread from 12th Street throughout the city. Pictured are firefighters battling a blaze at the corner of Grand River and Myrtle Avenue. Much of the commercial area along the Grand River was completely destroyed during the riots. 
Looters at a pawn shop on the corner of Oakland and Owen. Pawnshops became the target of local residents, who tried to destroy all debt records stored inside. 
Looting and arson spread throughout the city. Many neighborhoods were never able to recover from the events of 1967. 
National Guard soldiers with weapons aimed at rioters. 
Firefighters, under police protection, extinguish fires at shops along 12th Street. Both sides of the street were heavily damaged by fires during the riots and remained empty for many years afterwards. Redevelopment began only in the 1980s, when the street was widened and built with new houses. 
The riot was suppressed only after US Army units entered the city, which were able to quickly restore order. 43 people were killed and more than 1,000 were injured. 7,200 were arrested. The city suffered enormous damage. Entire neighborhoods were burned out by fires that raged for several days. The consequences were catastrophic for Detroit, and the 1967 riot became one of the largest in US history. 
Devil's Night 1980. Beginning in the 1970s, mass house burnings in Detroit began to occur more and more often on Halloween night. What at first seemed like a prank and mischief became a huge problem for the city. As the number of empty houses increased every year, so did the number of targets for arsonists. At its peak in 1984, there were more than 800 building arsons on Halloween night. After the police managed to significantly reduce their number. 
Detroit's white population had been steadily declining since the late 1950s, and the 1967 riot only accelerated the process. Representatives of the middle class began to move en masse to the suburbs, which led to the closure of many retail outlets in the city itself. This has led to a surplus in the commercial real estate market and a large number of empty buildings. Photo from 1967 shows a block of commercial buildings along Grand Boulevard that was abandoned and then demolished in the 1980s. 
The photo from 1927 shows the once thriving Catholic Church of St. Agnes in north Detroit. Racial and demographic changes led to a decline in the number of Catholic parishioners in the city and the closure of the church in 2006. 
The consequences of metal theft from abandoned buildings are as devastating as natural decay, but happen much faster. Thieves remove everything of even the slightest value from buildings. To get to the metal, they have to open walls and ceilings and turn buildings unsuitable for subsequent use. After closing in 2011, Detroit Hope Hospital was put up for sale, with most of its equipment remaining in place. When the property was seized for tax evasion, the guards were removed from the site and the hospital was gutted in just a few days. In the photo - May 2012 and October 2013. 
Along with the population decline, Detroit authorities began to close fire stations, police stations, schools and libraries that had become unnecessary. Pictured is the John S. Gray Library, which is one of the oldest surviving library buildings in the city. It opened its doors in 1906 and closed in 1971. The building was a community center for some time, but has been empty for 15 years. 
In 1975, a massive fire occurred in a wing of the Highland Park Area High School, destroying the gymnasium and swimming pool. In 1985, the wing was restored as an arts center at City College. The center was closed in 2009 due to financial problems. In the photo - 1985 and 2013. 
Grand Central Station is one of Detroit's most recognizable landmarks. It opened in 1913 at the height of America's railroad boom. The station never operated at full capacity and was closed in the 1970s. The building was abandoned in 1988. In the photo - 1915 and 2013. 
To be fair, it's not all bad in Detroit. There are also positive aspects. There are few of them, but they make it clear that the city still has a chance. Below are photographs of the restored objects. Those that were saved from complete destruction.
38. Grand Army of the Republic Building. Built in 1899 for members of a fraternal organization of Civil War veterans, the building had been abandoned since 1982. In 2011, it was sold to a new investor for $220,000. For this amount, for example, you can buy a very modest apartment in New York. But this is precisely what attracts investors. The building has now been renovated for use as offices and shops. Pictured are 2010 and 2013. 
An old factory building converted into a school. In the photo - 2008 and 2013. 
The high school closed in 2009. In 2012 the building was renovated and is again used for school education. In the photo - 2012 and 2013. 
Hall for a symphony orchestra. The building was abandoned in 1951. Restoration work began in 1970 and took 20 years. In the photo - 1970 and 2013. 
The Beech-Cadillac Hotel was built in 1924 and abandoned in 1984. Pictured are 2001 and 2014. 
