Bounded by Elizabeth, Clifford, John R and Adams Streets

Detroit, MI 48226

Public Access: Yes

National Register Date: February 28, 1983

The Grand Circus Park Historic District is significant for its semi-circular park surrounded by an outstanding collection of forty nineteenth and twentieth century commercial buildings by noted architects including: Albert Kahn, Daniel Burnham, George W. Post, Gordon W. Lloyd, Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. The district became the social center of Detroit for a period of time, largely due to the appearance of eight elegant theaters and ornate hotels around 1928.The buildings in the district vary from two to 18 stories and exhibit a variety of styles. Grand Circus Park represented the centering piece of Judge Woodward's hexagonal plan for the reconstruction of Detroit after the city's devastating 1805 fire. However, the plan failed to be fully implement when developers favored the use of a grid system. The park also contains notable public art works: statues of Detroit mayors Hazen S. Pingree and William Cotter Maybury; two fountains - Thomas A. Edison Fountain and Russell A. Alger Memorial Fountain; and the recently installed Millennium Bell."

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