Encyclopedia Of Detroit

The West Village Historic District is a Detroit neighborhood roughly located between Jefferson and Kercheval avenues to the south and north, and Parker and Seyburn streets to the east and west.  Due to its location just west of the renowned Indian Village Historic District, the district was named ‘West Village’ in the mid-20th century. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. 

West Village is a primarily residential neighborhood containing approximately 275 single and two-family homes, 30 apartment buildings, and 20 commercial structures built between 1890 and 1920. The architectural style of the buildings in this district includes Queen Anne, Tudor, Colonial Revival, and Mediterranean Revival houses, in addition to Georgian Revival and Jacobean apartment buildings. Buildings reflecting 21^st century styles have been built as the neighborhood has seen increased development.

The neighborhood’s growth occurred primarily between 1905 and 1920, with upper-middle-class homes, apartment buildings, and row houses built to accommodate the city’s growing population.  West Village has since served as a representation of the large-scale growth of Detroit in the early 20th century. 

Prominent Detroiters that have called West Village home include: Edwin C. Denby, Secretary of the Navy; Theodore Hinchman, President of the Detroit architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls; and sculptor Julius Melchers. The area suffered a decline like many Detroit neighborhoods following population loss to the suburbs starting mid-century. In the 1970s, neighborhoods along Jefferson Avenue like Indian Village and West Village saw renewed interest, which led to a revival and creation of a neighborhood association. 

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