New Amsterdam Historic District

The New Amsterdam Historic District is historically significant as a group of early twentieth-century industrial buildings associated with Detroit's booming manufacturing base and, in particular, the automobile industry in Detroit. The most significant physical development of the district occurred between the turn of the twentieth century and the 1930s, and few changes have been made to the district since. Once a thriving industrial and commercial district, it included automobile factories, auto showrooms, and repair garages, as well as various other manufacturing businesses drawn to the area by the ample lots available there and the location near downtown Detroit and major roads. The district contains probably Detroit's largest concentration of architecturally distinguished auto showroom and repair shop buildings, often designed by leading Detroit architects (others are found along Woodward Avenue and other streets nearby). A number of the district's buildings are fine examples of the reinforced concrete architecture of Albert Kahn.

The New Amsterdam Historic District is a concentration of early twentieth-century industrial buildings. The district is located approximately three miles north of downtown Detroit in New Center, and is bordered by the main business and retail district in New Center to the north, and the campus of Wayne State University to the south. New Center is a densely developed area comprising sixty city blocks. The heart of New Center is comprised of the architecturally and historically significant Fisher and General Motors buildings, and the main campus of Henry Ford Hospitals. The New Center area also includes a diverse mix of office, retail, commercial, and residential uses. The New Amsterdam Historic District is located just south of the core of New Center. The district is in good condition, as many of the buildings are currently occupied, and the vacant buildings have been appropriately secured. The New Amsterdam Historic District is roughly bounded by the Canadian National railroad tracks to the north, Woodward Avenue to the east, Antoinette Avenue to the south, and Second Avenue to the west. Amsterdam Avenue, which is parallel to Antoinette, also intersects the district. Cass Avenue is the main thoroughfare that runs north-south through the district with a width of eighty feet, while Burroughs and Amsterdam run east-west, with widths of fifty feet. The buildings almost exclusively make up the district, outside of two surface parking lots. The district is comprised of twenty-three buildings, twenty-two of which are contributing. Most of the buildings were centered on the automobile industry, as they were used for the manufacturing, distribution, and repair of automobiles. The district also includes factory/warehouse buildings, two Detroit Edison sub stations, and a Detroit fire station. The period that the district represents is the early twentieth-century industrial boom. Detroit was experimenting with a new type of construction due to the expanding automobile industry and changing methods of manufacturing. With the use of reinforced concrete, the look and efficiency of factory buildings has changed, as they were stronger, and provided more floor space and window areas. Brick is common throughout the district, and limestone and terra cotta are also represented. The district maintains its historic integrity, as few changes have been made to the buildings over the years. The height of the buildings, and their similar materials and massing, help to create a comprehensive district of industrial buildings that are excellent representations of the early twentieth-century industrial boom in Detroit.