Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District is a historic district
located in Detroit, Michigan
. It is roughly bounded by Pontchartrain Boulevard on the west, McNichols Road on the south, and Covington Drive on the northeast. A boundary increase pushed the eastern boundary to Woodward Avenue. The district exemplifies some of the finest and most varied examples of apartment building design in Michigan, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1983 (with a boundary increase in 2005).
, was once the estate of Thomas W. Palmer
, a wealthy Detroiter and one-time US Senator. Palmer had intended to develop this area into a subdivision, but died in 1913 before bringing the idea to fruition. After Palmer's death, this portion of the estate was purchased by Walter Briggs
. In 1925, Briggs hired Albert Kahn to design an apartment building in the area (this building, at 1001 Covington, was converted to contos in 2005). Forty buildings total were constructed in the district by multiple architects, including Weidmaier and Gay, Robert West, and William Kapp. Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, but development continued until 1965.
, Colonial Revival]] Style architecture, Mediterranean
, Venetian, Tudor
, and Moorish Revival
represented, as well as severely plain 1930's Moderne]] and International Style
buildings.
Historic district (United States)
In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
located in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. It is roughly bounded by Pontchartrain Boulevard on the west, McNichols Road on the south, and Covington Drive on the northeast. A boundary increase pushed the eastern boundary to Woodward Avenue. The district exemplifies some of the finest and most varied examples of apartment building design in Michigan, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1983 (with a boundary increase in 2005).
History
The land that this historic district sits on, like the adjacent Palmer Park and nearby Palmer Woods Historic DistrictPalmer Woods Historic District
The Palmer Woods Historic District is a residential historic district bounded by Seven Mile Road, Woodward Avenue, and Strathcona Drive in Detroit, Michigan. There are approximately 289 homes in the district. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The Detroit Golf Club...
, was once the estate of Thomas W. Palmer
Thomas W. Palmer
Thomas Witherell Palmer was a U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan. He is considered to be one of the most significant figures in the history of Detroit, Michigan....
, a wealthy Detroiter and one-time US Senator. Palmer had intended to develop this area into a subdivision, but died in 1913 before bringing the idea to fruition. After Palmer's death, this portion of the estate was purchased by Walter Briggs
Walter Briggs
Walter Briggs may refer to:*Walter Briggs, Sr. , owner of the Detroit Tigers and Briggs Manufacturing Company*Walter Briggs, Jr. , son of Walter Briggs, Sr. and owner of the Detroit Tigers...
. In 1925, Briggs hired Albert Kahn to design an apartment building in the area (this building, at 1001 Covington, was converted to contos in 2005). Forty buildings total were constructed in the district by multiple architects, including Weidmaier and Gay, Robert West, and William Kapp. Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, but development continued until 1965.
Description
The buildings within the district were designed primarily for middle- and upper-middle-class residents. They are primarily five- and six-story structures, and incorporated the latest residential technology. The architecture, however varies into the realm of the exotic, with styles such as EgyptianEgyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile during 1798....
, Colonial Revival]] Style architecture, Mediterranean
Mediterranean Revival Style architecture
The Mediterranean Revival was an eclectic design style that was first introduced in the United States about the end of the nineteenth century, and became popular during the 1920s and 1930s...
, Venetian, Tudor
Tudorbethan architecture
The Tudor Revival architecture of the 20th century , first manifested itself in domestic architecture beginning in the United Kingdom in the mid to late 19th century based on a revival of aspects of Tudor style. It later became an influence in some other countries, especially the British colonies...
, and Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival
Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of the Romanticist fascination with all things oriental...
represented, as well as severely plain 1930's Moderne]] and International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
buildings.
External links
- 1001 Covington, an Albert Kahn-designed building.