Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Warren-Prentis Historic District in Detroit, Michigan includes the east-west streets of Prentis, Forest, and Hancock, as well as the south side of Warren Avenue, running east to west from Woodward to Third avenues. The land where this district now stands originally contained the Park Lots, the Cass Farm, and the Jones/Crane Farm, all of which were subdivided in the 1800s. Due to its generous lot sizes, the growth of Detroit during the 1860s, and technological advances during this period, the district quickly became a popular area for development. Between 1880 and 1895, many of Detroit’s upper-middle class professionals moved to Warren-Prentis from downtown, facilitated by the streetcar lines along Woodward and Third avenues. It was these industrialists and businessmen who constructed many of the buildings in the district, including residential, commercial, institutional, and religious structures, most of which are still standing. By the late 1880s, apartment complexes gained popularity and the building of duplexes and small-scale apartment buildings rapidly increased, while the construction of single-family homes dwindled to almost nothing.

The expansion of the auto industry in the early 20th Century caused increased commercial development in the district, which peaked between 1915 and 1930. This expansion brought the second wave of development to the district which, due to the proximity to public transportation and the automobile factories, became a prime residential area for working class families. However, with the onset of the Great Depression in the 1930s, most families could no longer afford to live in the district, and many homes were abandoned and began deteriorating. The area was somewhat revitalized during World War II when many of the homes were divided into rental units, but resumed its decline following the war and the population exodus during the 1950s and 1960s.

By the 1990s, the district began to show signs of recovery with nearby Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center drawing people to the area.

In 1997, the Warren-Prentis Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The architectural styles of the buildings in this district include Tudor Revival, Classical Revival, and Colonial Revival. Among these, there are 108 individual historic buildings, some of the most prominent of which include the Perry McAdow House, the William C. Boydell House, the Thompson Home, the George W. Loomer House, and the Mulford T. Hunter House.