Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Peterboro-Charlotte Historic District in downtown Detroit, Michigan, roughly includes the block that is bounded by Woodward Avenue on the east, Peterboro Street to the north, Park Avenue on the west, and Charlotte Street on the south.

The District was originally part of a 10,000-acre parcel of land granted by Congress in 1806. John Scott, architect of the Wayne County Building and the first employer of Albert Kahn, was one of 10 men who owned and subdivided this land.  

In order to meet the housing demands of Detroit’s growing professional class, this District was established in the late 19th century by real estate broker Edward C. Van Husan and developers Harry and John Edwards. The architecture of the buildings in this District ranges from Victorian-style, middle-class, single-family dwellings, to early 20th century apartment buildings of moderate cost and scale built to appeal to the influx of workers in Detroit’s burgeoning auto industry. By the 1930s, the character of the area was changing with many homes being converted to rooming houses. By the 1960s, the area had deteriorated, and many homes were demolished. 

Some of the notable Detroiters who lived in the Peterboro-Charlotte Historic District include the Honorable Judge Charles Walker I, physician Robert W. Gilman, Vice-President of the J.L. Hudson Company Robert B. Tannahill, and prominent Michigan lawyer and politician William V. Moore. 

The Peterboro-Charlotte Historic District was listed as a City of Detroit Designated Historic District on August 10, 1984.

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