Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The West Canfield Historic District is a revitalized 1870s-era residential neighborhood located primarily on Canfield Avenue between Second and Third avenues in Detroit, Michigan. The district was recognized as Detroit’s first historic district in 1970 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. 

The area surrounding the West Canfield Historic District was once owned by Michigan statesman Lewis Cass. His daughter Mary inherited this portion of land following his death. In 1871, Mary Cass Canfield subdivided her land and named Canfield Avenue in honor of her husband, Captain August Canfield, a major investor in the construction of the ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie. 

In the late 19th century, the West Canfield Historic District was home to many successful attorneys, physicians, dentists, architects, and other professionals who began building elaborate homes in the area, primarily in the Queen Anne and High Victorian style. Queen Anne homes continued to be built into the 1880s, the style reflecting the purported social and moral character of Victorian professionals. The homes sat on 50 by 190-foot lots and were set back 30 feet from the street which was paved with cedar blocks. 

The district began to decline in the 1930s due to the onset of the Great Depression. By the 1970s however, the West Canfield Historic District was beginning to be revitalized and its historic streetscape was restored. The cobblestones for the street, taken from Atwater Street when the Renaissance Center was being constructed, had been in storage at Fort Wayne. The area’s resurgence was largely due to the efforts of a former resident of West Canfield, Beulah Croxford, who worked diligently for the preservation of her block and neighborhood. In 1969, Croxford organized the Canfield West-Wayne Preservation Association to support the restoration and preservation of the block’s homes. Additionally, she was responsible for ensuring the designation of West Canfield as Detroit’s first historic district in 1970. In 1997, the district was expanded to include one additional Queen Anne style residence, and two Victorian commercial buildings on Third Street between Canfield Avenue and Calumet Street.

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