In the 1920s, Detroit's prestigious Grand Circus Park was crowded with buildings.[3] The automotive boom in the city increased the pressure for office space, and development began to spill north from Grand Circus Park up Park Avenue.[3] In 1922, Albert Kahn designed the Park Avenue Building, located at the entrance to Park Avenue (but included in the neighboring Grand Circus Park Historic District). Other architects and artisans contributed hotels, apartment buildings, and office buildings to the structures on Park Avenue.[3]
In 1923, the Park Avenue Association was formed.[2] They planned the street to concentrate high-grade commercial and office space at the south end, and prestigious residential development at the north end.[2] As the district developed, Detroiters consciously perceived it as their city's version of New York City's Fifth Avenue.[2]
Also on Park Avenue was Women's City Club and the Detroit chapter of the Colony Club, both critical in providing women with social and work activities and supporting women's suffrage.[3]
The area was used decreasingly during the Great Depression, but saw a resurgence after World War II, with a mix of social groups and multiple restaurant and entertainment venues.[3] At the same time, an industrial character was added to the district when the Iodent Chemical Company began manufacturing toothpaste in a building along Park Avenue.[2] The proximity of the Fox Theatre and other nearby venues (including Comerica Park) has led to increased redevelopment in the 2000s.[3] The Iodent Building has been redeveloped into lofts, the Colony Club has been refurbished, and two new entertainment venues, Cliff Bell's and the Park Bar, have opened.[4]
The district was listed on the state register of historic places in 1996, and on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.[2]
