Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Berry Subdivision Historic District is a neighborhood located within the boundaries of East Jefferson Avenue, Holcomb Avenue, Stanton Canal, and the Detroit River.  Development began in the mid-1890s, when it was known as Park View.  Architect Louis Kamper built the neighborhood’s first home for the Detroit clothing manufacturer Marvin Stanton.  The home was designed to look like a castle, with towers, turrets, crenellations, and roofs.  

In 1914 two sisters who had inherited the land from their father, Joseph Berry, began platting a subdivision in the neighborhood. The sisters hoped that the growing popularity of Detroit and the success of the auto industry would result in a neighborhood of high quality, single family homes.  Numerous upper-middle to upper class homes were built in the 1920s, but construction was stopped during the Great Depression.  Construction recommenced following the end of World War II, and many residents began purchasing adjacent vacant lots to give the neighborhood a more spacious and open feeling. 

A notable house situated in the Berry Subdivision Historic District is the Manoogian Mansion, which is the present day residence of the Mayor of Detroit.  In 1966 Alex Manoogian, a prominent philanthropist and the founder of the MASCO Corporation, donated his house to the City of Detroit to serve as the mayor’s residence. 

At present, the Berry Subdivision Historic District is reported to be the neighborhood with the most expensive homes in Detroit, with a median worth of $300,000 according to the 2000 Census.  Additionally, 44 of the 118 lots have never been built upon, with 24 of them being used as side lots to some of the adjoining residences. Four of the riverfront lots are now a dedicated park named for David F. Stockton, a WWII hero. 

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