Palmer Woods Historic District

Palmer Woods is significant as a carefully planned residential subdivision which strove to take advantage of the natural beauty of the terrain. Designed by landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds, Palmer Woods received the Michigan Horticultural Society's Award of Merit in 1938 for being the finest platted subdivision in Michigan. Palmer Woods is also significant because it contains many of the finest examples of residential design in the City of Detroit. The work of internationally known architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, Minoru Yamasaki, and Maginnis & Walsh, is represented as well as many of Detroit's most talented architects including Alvin E. Harley, Clarence E. Day, Richard H. Marr, William Kuni, J. Ivan Dise, C. Howard Crane, Herbert and Frances Schmitz, and the firms of Pollmar & Ropes, and Baxter, O'Dell and Halpin. Lastly, Palmer Woods is significant as the home of many prominent Detroiters including the upper echelon executives of the auto companies that prospered with the rapid expansion of Detroit's auto industry during the first quarter of the 20th century.

The Palmer Woods Historic District is located approximately eight miles north of downtown Detroit between Seven and Eight Mile roads, adjacent to and west of Woodward Avenue, Detroit's major north-south thoroughfare. This district is composed of 188 acres with 14 broad, curving avenues on which there are 297 structures. The district is entirely residential. The area is bounded by Evergreen Cemetery on the north, Woodward Avenue on the east, Seven Mile Road and Palmer Park on the South, and the Sherwood Forest Subdivision on the west. Palmer Woods is characterized by large, irregularly shaped lots with large homes. The houses have deep setbacks and extensive grounds which were often designed by professional landscape architects. The predominant building materials in the area are red brick, stone, stucco, and slate often found in combination. Architectural styles found within Palmer Woods include Tudor Revival, Neo-Georgian, Mediterranean, Moderne and Craftsman. The historic district includes the entire Palmer Woods subdivision as originally platted. Landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds laid out Palmer Woods with irregular-shaped lots and curving streets, taking full advantage of the natural terrain. The traffic pattern within the subdivision is self-contained with few through streets. There are no through streets on the northern and western sides of Palmer Woods. The streets which intersect with Woodward Avenue on the eastern edge are Strathcona, Wellesley, and Balmoral. Streets with access to Seven Mile Road on the south are Strathcona, Lincolnshire, Burlington, and Gloucester. The average lot width is 100 feet and the average depth is 175 feet. Street names such as Balmoral, Gloucester, and Cumberland reflect an interest in English history. The original plat map shows Suffolk Drive as Devonshire, Woodston Road as Nottingham Road, and Lincolnshire Drive as Lincoln Highway. The area is buffered from Woodward Avenue, Detroit's major north-south thoroughfare, by a green belt which runs from Strathcona Drive on the north to Seven Mile Road on the south. This green belt visually connects the open expanses of Evergreen Cemetery to the north and Palmer Park to the south and was part of the original design for the area.