Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The Sherwood Forest Historic District in northwest Detroit is bounded by Seven Mile Road on the south, Livernois Avenue on the west, Pembroke Avenue on the north, and Parkside Street on the east. The district is composed of two subdivisions: Sherwood Forest, which was platted in 1917 by Manly Daniel Davis who also developed the adjacent Palmer Woods neighborhood, and Sherwood Forest Manor, which was platted in 1926. Altogether the district contains about 435 houses, most of which were built in the late 1920s and early 1930s. On May 13, 2002, the Sherwood Forest Historic District was officially listed as a local historic district for the City of Detroit.

The area was originally a tract of farmland purchased by Abraham Hall and John Mullet in 1837. 80 years later, inspired by Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire, England, the developers of the Sherwood Forest neighborhood thought that it should resemble an English village. As such, the district is complete with curved and winding streets with appropriate English names, as well as with grand English Tudor and Georgian Colonial style homes. The construction of these stylish homes was made possible by the prosperity of the automobile industry in Detroit in the early 20th century, which increased the demand for elegant homes in the city.

The Sherwood Forest Historic District is recognized today as one of the most appealing residential neighborhoods in the Detroit metropolitan area. In order to preserve the pleasant English ambiance and to sustain property values, the Sherwood Forest Association has several stringent regulations in place. Just some of these include the prohibition of flat roofs, the rule that the exterior of every home must be made of brick, stone, or concrete over tile, and a long list of garage regulations. Throughout its history, the association also has fought to preserve the integrity of the District by opposing industrialization of the surrounding area, negotiating with the City of Detroit to restrict traffic through the neighborhood, and opposing the construction of the city airport at Eight Mile and Wyoming Roads adjacent to the northern boundary of the area in the 1940s. While some of these policies may seem strict, they have helped to maintain the Sherwood Forest Historic District was one of the most upscale neighborhoods in the City of Detroit.