A fresh Look at Detroit's Rivertown Architecture
When we think of the residential opportunities in Detroit, we should remember the rich history that brought them to life. Detroit re-invents itself over and over, and its love affair with the River only grows.
Detroit's Rivertown District is rich with legacy. More than three hundred years of human enterprise has shaped it, because of the magnetic power of the Detroit River. 18th century French farmers established their homesteads here in long, narrow tracts, to access water for irrigation and cattle. 19th century copper & iron foundries, and fabrication shops populated the riverfront where companies had access the commercial ports around the world. Detroit became the "stove capital of the world" and then later, the automotive capital.
The riverfront, and the Rivertown District, was always at the heart of Detroit's history, even though it is a couple of miles from the very center of downtown. Today, the public marina on Atwater is a remnant from the shipbuilding days of the mid 1800's.
We now have handsome warehouse buildings, repurposed as cool, lofty condominiums (the Lofts at Rivertown are a great example). There were historic luxury apartments built here in the early 1900's that now have undergone historic renovation (for example the Garden Court Condos in a 1916 Albert Kahn building) and are now available for sale as condominium residences. And there are newer buildings that date from the last 30 years, such as the sprawling residential community featuring inland waters, Harbortown. The Spinnaker Tower is the tallest residential tower in the Harbortown complex, boasting international views.
