The story of the district
Broadway Avenue in context.
Broadway developed as a shopping area in the late nineteenth century, with businesses including clothing shops, florists, and hairdressers. Financial and professional uses became more prominent during the 1910s. Its surviving commercial buildings largely date from 1896 to 1926.
Terra-cotta ornament helps tie together buildings of different sizes and designs. The Cary, Breitmeyer–Tobin, and Merchants buildings are also individually listed on the National Register. The Breitmeyer–Tobin Building opened to Black tenants in 1936, making the block a point of entry into Detroit’s Black business and professional history.
Historical context: National Park Service district record and district history and references.
What to notice.
- Look above storefronts for the terra-cotta details that connect the block visually.
- Compare narrow commercial façades with taller corner buildings and their treatment of the street.
- Read building history together with the history of the businesses and tenants that occupied the spaces.
Find your bearings.
Begin on Broadway between Gratiot and East Grand River. The district occupies a compact area, but individual building listings and the wider Harmonie Park identity should be distinguished from its formal boundaries.
Explore from public streets and sidewalks. Many district buildings are private homes or workplaces; check access with the owner or operator before entering.
Can a building belong to a district and have its own listing?
Yes. The Cary, Breitmeyer–Tobin, and Merchants buildings have individual National Register listings as well as being part of this district. Those records provide additional avenues for building-specific research.
