An Alternative Fort Wayne, Part I

c. 1965, Fort Wayne Restoration, Including the Historic Fort, Proposed Detroit Industrial History Museum, and Other Historic Features and Waterfront Improvements.

 

Over the years, the grounds of Historic Fort Wayne have undergone numerous changes and served a variety of purposes. While some projects have led to new buildings and the removal of old buildings, it is interesting to consider what might have been, based on proposals that never came to fruition. One such proposal was a Fort Wayne Restoration project, drawn up in the mid-1960s, which would have dramatically altered the ground’s landscape and architecture. The renovation project proposed the demolition of numerous buildings, including many of the officer’s houses, as well as the transformation of one of the buildings into a new Detroit Industrial History Museum.

c. 1965, A view of the missile monument at the approach to the Detroit Industrial History Museum.

 

The Detroit Industrial History Museum was to take the place of a building that stood on the south eastern portion of the grounds, on what is now the riverfront parade ground. Drawings show plans to modify the foundation of the existing structure, to plant trees around the perimeter of the new museum, and to construct a parking and entrance area, which was to include a missile monument.

c. 1965, Elevation and the parking plan for the Detroit Industrial History Museum.