The Brush Park district is getting a second chance thanks to organizations that have spent millions of dollars on renovation and new construction in the area. In the mid-1800s, Brush Park was considered très chic, with such Detroit notables as J.L. Hudson and David Whitney calling this area along Woodward Avenue home. Decline began occurring toward the end of that century as the wealthy began moving north (sound familiar?) to the comforts of the Arden Park and Boston-Edison districts.
Many of the area’s beautiful Victorians began undergoing the transformation from single-family mansions to apartments and flophouses. And, despite the recent resurrection, many properties in the area remain untouched by the hand of renewal. Our house this week at 92 Alfred is no exception. It appears that the front of the building was a single-family residence at one time, but was converted into an apartment building. Now the only inhabitants (if lawyers from a nearby firm are correct when they tell us that the place remains squatter-free) are ghosts harboring memories of far better days long past.
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