Boulevard Building

The Franklin Boulevard Historic District is significant as a collection of mid-nineteenth century to early-twentieth century upper-middle class residential structures encompassing important examples of architectural styles popular during that time, including Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival. The area was considered one of the most prestigious residential areas of the City of Pontiac and attracted some of the most prominent and influential families in Pontiac. The development of Pontiac's industrial base from carriage manufacturing to automobile manufacturing between 1880 and 1920 attracted bankers, businessmen, land speculators and manufacturers, many who chose the Franklin Boulevard area for their homes.

The Franklin Boulevard Historic District is one of the oldest and most prestigious residential sections of the City of Pontiac, Michigan's sixth largest city. Located approximately two miles west of the Pontiac central business district, the Franklin Boulevard Historic District encompasses ninety-three structures with the majority constructed between 1848 and 1930. The district includes examples of the major architectural styles that were popular during this period including Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick Style and Colonial Revival. The terrain is generally flat and the street pattern is rectangular.

The district is characterized by single family detached houses placed on relatively large lots with common lot line setbacks. The district includes all of Franklin Boulevard and portions of Henry Clay Avenue, Mary Day Avenue, Palmer Street, West Huron Street, Williams Street, and West Lawrence Street.

The Palmer Park Boulevard Apartments, known individually as the Northcourse, Southcourse, and Georgian Apartments have significance as excellent examples of the best quality of apartment development in the mid-1920's, as buildings relating to the overall history of the Palmer Park/Golf Club/University area of metropolitan Detroit, and as the most exclusive and elegant apartments in the City of Highland Park. They also share the significance of having been part of a specially designed and developed row of five buildings; this significance is reduced by the severe fire damage to the Fairway and Douglas Apartments at the east end of the row, and the present plans to demolish those two buildings. They are of interest as works of architect Richard Marr, generally known for very large single family houses. These apartments broaden our understanding of his work and particularly since one of them was submitted for and accepted by the Thumb Tack Club of Detroit for its 1924 exhibition and book.

The Palmer Park Boulevard Apartment district contains three adjacent exceptional apartment buildings of the mid-1920's, all designed by the same architect, all observing uniform height, setbacks, and general plan, and all in classically derived styles. The district represents well high class low rise apartment development of the period. The name of the district derives from the fact that the street on which the buildings stand was known at the time of their construction as Palmer Park Boulevard, emphasizing the adjacency of the park. It was soon renamed McNichols Road after the Jesuit priest who moved the University of Detroit to its location nearby, but has always been informally known as 'Six Mile Road'. The apartments on McNichols Road between Rosa Parks Boulevard and Log Cabin Avenue were originally a symmetrical set of five buildings, four 'C' shaped in plan, with the central building the Georgian -- 'E' shaped and considerably larger than the flanking pairs and in a distinctly different manner.

The East Grand Boulevard Historic District is historically and architecturally significant as an elite residential area on one of the first planned boulevards in the City of Detroit. During the construction of Grand Boulevard, routed around the city between 1881 and 1913, this east-side stretch became the home of many men and women who left their individual impressions upon various aspects of Detroit life. The presence of several fashionable apartment buildings along the boulevard is representative of the change in development patterns along major thoroughfares from low density to a higher density that took place in the decade preceding the Great Depression, and its location near the entrance to Belle Isle contributed to a colorful history associated with the rum-running trade that flourished during Prohibition between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

The East Grand Boulevard Historic District is located approximately three miles east of downtown Detroit north of the Belle Isle Bridge. It encompasses both sides of East Grand Boulevard, generally from East Jefferson Avenue to Mack Avenue and, therefore, consists of only a portion of the whole boulevard, which runs in a horseshoe encompassing parts of the east and west sides of the city. The area of the city from downtown to the Boulevard, as it is locally known, defines the 'inner city.' The one hundred and forty-one extant buildings within the East Grand Boulevard Historic District, most of which were built for residential purposes, line a long, straight street flanked by wide grassy berms planted with mature trees. Moderate to large scaled homes and small to moderate sized apartment buildings are relatively closely spaced with uniform setbacks, resulting in a stately yet urban appearance.

Where new facilities have been constructed or original buildings have been joined together when converted to institutional use, especially between Kercheval and Vernor avenues, the character of the setting is that of a combined residential and institutional street scape that still maintains its grandeur. Where vacant lots exist, particularly at the southern end of the district, the continuity of the street scape is interrupted.