Jeffferson-Chalmers Historic Business District

The Jefferson-Chalmers Historic Business District, largely developed in the late 1910s and 1920s, is the only continuously intact commercial district remaining along East Jefferson Avenue. It retains fifty-seven buildings including four churches, two ballrooms, retail stores, banks and apartment buildings. Most of the buildings front onto East Jefferson and fill the lot line with no setback from the street, resulting in a nearly continuous streetscape. The buildings are generally two-stories high, with the exception of the churches and apartment buildings. Fox Creek, one of the few creeks remaining from Detroit's native landscape, is a feature of the district. Today the creek originates from the 'Fox Creek Backwater Gates,' a structure housing large underground water gates which control the flow of water now emanating from the sewered creek. The gates lie on the north side of East Jefferson Avenue between Alter Road and Ashland Avenue. The creek runs under the roadway and appears at ground level on the south side of East Jefferson Avenue. The creek then flows into a canal that runs alongside Alter Road to the Detroit River.