I had a chance to take a short break and go to Detroit this past week for a concert. I took the opportunity to photograph the Brush Park District in downtown Detroit. Also known as The Little Paris of the Midwest, Brush Park was a neighborhood for the elite citizens of Detroit starting in the 1850s and flourishing though the early 1900s. Only 80 of the 300 original homes are still standing. Brush Park is a quiet and eerie part of the city, there were only a couple of people in sight during mid-day walking down the streets. Some of the homes have been rehabilitated and are lived in. But there are many standing tall and silent, waiting for someone to come and breath life back into them.
It’s really a sad thing to see these beautiful pieces of art in such ruin and decay. As I drove through this area, I tried to imagine what it must have looked like over 150 years ago. I researched the area online and found only a few photos of that era. I may take some more time to try and find original photos of the area and revisit Detroit with a plan to do comparison photography.
Unknown photographer – Alfred Street 1881
Many of the homes have been taken down and the city has offered entire blocks for bidding. To read more about Brush Park’s past residents, history and which homes have been rehabilitated, visit the Wiki page or the Detroit Historical Society website.
Wildflowers and vines have taken over many of the buildings. It’s a strange type of beauty to see nature in the city, mixing the colorful summer landscape of wildflowers with the red bricks and the neon graffiti.
All Photography by Robyn Porteen – Porteen Photography