Detroit's Unique Neighborhoods: Millender Center Apartments

Some people just like renting, or need to rent for awhile, or just don't want the hassle of taking care of a house. There are several rental apartment complexes in the City to choose from, including the Millender Center, located right in the heart of Downtown Detroit. For people looking for upscale downtown apartment living where they would hardly even need a car, the Millender Center Apartments are a good option.

 

The Millender Center Apartment Complex, the largest residential building in Detroit, includes 339 units and penthouses located at 555 Brush Street one block north of East Jefferson. The apartments range in size from 1 bedroom/1 bath at 795 square feet to 2 bedroom/2 bath with 1800 square feet of living space. The apartments are connected to the Millender Center Shopping Complex, which itself is connected by walkways to the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center (the "City/County Building") and the GM Renaissance Center. The building is just two blocks from the Detroit River and offers panoramic views of the river, the city, and Winsor Ontario.

 

Amenities include an indoor swimming pool, a jogging track, restaurants, high-speed internet, laundry facilities, a lounge and fitness center, a 24-hour attended lobby, the Millender Center People Mover Station with Pewabic Tile decor, and an adjacent parking garage. Even cats are allowed for residents. The Millender Center is named for the 1970s and 1980s late African-American attorney and political activist Robert Millender .


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Detroit's Unique Neighborhoods: Indian Village Historic District

Indian Village is a residential area in the city of Detroit which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.  The neighborhood is over 100 years old; the first home being built in 1895.  Originally part of the "French Ribbon"  land-grant tracts owned by Francois Rivard and Jacques St. Aubin, the mostly farming area also had a mile-long oval race track that was the site of several Michigan State Fairs in the 1860s and was also known as the Hamtramck Race Course.

According to the Indian Village Historical Collections, originally, the land belonged to Francois Rivard and Jacques St. Aubin, recipients of French land-grant "ribbon" farms, long narrow strips of land that gave each farmer some river frontage. Abraham Cook acquired the farms between 1811 and 1815. The area consisted mostly of farms, and a couple of upper-class river cottages, but the main attraction was a mile long oval race track. The track was the site of several Michigan State Fairs during the 1860s and was known as the Hamtramck Race Course. The very first Indian Village home, built in 1895, was later used as a studio for station WXYZ and the home of the original radio drama The Lone Ranger. Today Indian Village, so named because one of the original developers, John Owen, thought the name sounded romantic, encompasses three streets: Seminole, Iroquois, and Burns bounded by East Jefferson Avenue and Mack Avenue.

 

There are at least seventeen types of architectural styles mostly built between 1895 and the late 1920s.  Many homes include ballrooms, elevators, servants' quarters, and carriage houses larger than many of today's modern homes.  Exquisite carvings and crownmouldings are common; as are multiple fireplaces, many surrounded with tiles from Pewabic Pottery. The Indian Village homes were built by some of Detroit's most famous architects including Albert Kahn, Louis Kamper, and William Stratton. Many early twentieth-century magnates such as Edsel Ford, Arthur Buhl, and J. Burgess Book, Sr., and Bernard Stroh had homes in Indian Village.
Photo Credits: Indian Village Association

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Shopping in Detroit: Pewabic Pottery

When it's time to remodel your Detroit home, whether it's old or new, you'll want to schedule a visit to Detroit's own unique Arts and Crafts Design Studio and Museum: Pewabic Pottery, located on East Jefferson.

One of only three of the original potteries in America founded during the Arts and Crafts Movement, Pewabic Pottery has been in existence since 1903. It is now nationally renowned and home builders and home remodelers alike realize the pride and added resale value inherent in having "made by Pewabic Pottery" design elements in their homes.

Pewabic Pottery was founded by Mary Chase Perry Stratton in a stable on Alfred Street. In 1908, the studio moved to its present location in the beautiful custom-designed (by William Chase Stratton) Tudor Revival building in which it still is located. In 1991, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark; and is the only historic pottery in Michigan.

Pewabic Pottery produces tiles, ornaments, gifts, gardenware, and historic reproductions and adaptations. Custom installations are all over the world, including many national landmarks and government installations.

The work of Pewabic Pottery is well known for its unique glazing of its tiles and other objects.

Today, the in-house designers and artists work with homeowners and architects to create custom tile designs for public buildings, private corporate offices, and private homes.

Pewabic Pottery today includes a museum with tour schedule, an education center, design studio, workshops and exhibits, and an online store.

No matter what design idea, you'll be sure to find something to enhance
your home or office at Pewabic Pottery.

The next time you ride the Detroit People Mover, make sure to notice the "Arts in the Station" murals at the Times Square Station. The murals, designed by Tom Phardel, were specifically commissioned for the 1987 opening of the Detroit People in honor of Detroit architect and philanthropist W. Hawkins Ferry.

Pewabic Pottery is open from 10 -6 Monday through Saturday, and 12 - 4 on Sundays.

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