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The 'Detroit International Riverfront' is an area so designated by the nonprofit city sponsored managing entity named the 'Detroit Riverfront Conservancy' incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization. The conservancy resulted from a study commissioned by Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick. The International Riverfront area ranges from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle in downtown Detroit, Michigan encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail shops, skyscrapers, and high rise residential areas along the Detroit River. The comprehensive project has raised hundreds of millions of dollars to
develop and manage Detroit's riverfront. The Marriott at the Renaissance Center and the Omni Hotel at Riverplace face the International Riverfront. The area features a variety of annual events and festivals including the North American International Auto Show. The riverfront is also a component of the urban development in Detroit.

Contents

Overview

International Freedom Festival

Detroit River Walk

Hart Plaza and the Dock of Detroit

GM Plaza and Promenade

Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor

Chene Park

Belle Isle Park

Auto racing

Access

Photo gallery

See also

Notes

References and further reading

External Links

Overview

The 'Detroit International Riverfront', a comprehensive project led by the 'Detroit Riverfront Conservancy', marks a step forward for the region's potential competition for the 2020 Summer Olympics. The east riverfront promenade development was planned at $559 million, including $135 million from GM and $50 million from the Kresge foundation.^[1] The east and west riverfront projects together cover a 5½-mile (8.8 kilometer) section of downtown from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle bridge linking the cruise ship dock area to a series of parks, venues, hotels, residential high rises, retail shops, and restaurants. Belle Isle Park is the city's 972 acre island park.
'Detroit' has made the Summer Olympic Games' final bidding election more often than any other ultimately unsuccessful bid city, participating in IOC elections for the 1944 (3rd place, behind bid winner London), 1952 (5th place), 1956 (4th place), 1960 (3rd place), 1964 (2nd place), 1968 (2nd place) and 1972 (4th place) Games. (Los Angeles has more total bids with 9, but hosted twice) If accepted as the U.S. candidate by USOC, this would be the city's eighth bid. Lower crime figures as of 2007 bring hope to a possible revitalization of the city by the early 2010s, which would be improve Detroit's prospects for the USOC competition. Soft-drink manufacturer Faygo has stepped up its efforts as major sponsor. Successful events such as Super Bowl XL have showcased Detroit as a city accustomed to hosting supersized crowds.
In addition, there is the 'Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge' which is the only international wildlife preserve in North America, uniquely located in the heart of a major metropolitan area. The Refuge includes islands, coastal wetlands, marshes, shoals, and waterfront lands along 48 miles of the Detroit River and Western Lake Erie shoreline.

International Freedom Festival

River Days, a five day festival on the International Riverfront, marked the 2007 opening of the River Walk along the east river leading up to the Windsor-Detroit International Freedom Festival fireworks. With about 3.5 million visitors, Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario jointly celebrate the multi-day festival the last week of June in order to commemorate each country's respective National holiday - (US Independence Day on July 4 and Canada Day on July 1). The festival began in 1959. It is organized by the Parade Company, a well sponsored not-for-profit organization governed by the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade Foundation. The celebration draws large crowds of about a million visitors. The multi-day event draws an estimated 3.5 million visitors.
Traditionally, several days of events were planned, ending with one of the world's largest fireworks displays, sponsored by Target. In prior years, the fireworks display has been billed as the world's largest. On the Windsor side, there is a midway consisting of carnival rides and concessions during the festival. The Midway operates as stand-alone attraction at the end of June, beginning of July.

Detroit River Walk

The 'Detroit River Walk' will be a 5½-mile (8.8 kilometer) promenade along the Detroit International Riverfront running from the Ambassador Bridge to Belle Isle. The path will be located directly on the river, sometimes bridging it. The path will be 62 feet (18¾ meters) wide in most places, with separate lanes for pedestrian and wheeled (such as bicycles or inline skate) traffic. Pavilions will be located at intervals along the path, and a new carousel has been installed. Fishing piers and benches will also be located along the path.

The RiverWalk connects various riverfront developments, including Hart Plaza, the Renaissance Center, GM Plaza and Promenade, Tri-Centennial State Park, Stroh River Place, Chene Park, and Gabriel Richard Park. The RiverWalk is designed to supplement new retail and residential development. Architect Eric J. Hill aided in its design.
The first 2.6 miles of continuous RiverWalk opened to the public on June 6, 2007. Prior to this only certain sections had opened. The remainder of the development is expected to open in stages, and will not be completed before 2012. It will eventually connect to River Rouge in the southwest side.

Hart Plaza and the Dock of Detroit

'Philip A. Hart Plaza' is an open, mostly hard-surfaced park in downtown Detroit, Michigan, along the Detroit River. It is located more or less on the site at which Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac landed in 1701 when he founded ''Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit'', the settlement that became Detroit. In 2006, a cruise-ship dock was added to Hart Plaza, adjacent to the Renaissance Center.
Lying immediately south of the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson Avenues, it is the focal point for festivals and public demonstrations of all kinds. The 14 acre (57,000 m²) plaza, which is named for the late U.S. Senator Philip Hart, opened in 1975 and has a capacity of 40,000 people. At the center of the plaza is the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978.[1]
The Detroit Electronic Music Festival is held at Hart Plaza each May. Hart Plaza is also the traditional location of rallies to celebrate championships won by Detroit's major sports teams.
In the past summers, Summer Jamz has been held in here.

GM Plaza and Promenade

Main articles: Renaissance Center


The 'Renaissance Center', nicknamed the 'RenCen', is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Detroit, Michigan, and the tallest building in Michigan since 1977. Located on the Detroit International Riverfront, the entire Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors Corporation, as its world headquarters. The central tower, is occupied by the 'Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center', the tallest all-hotel skyscaper in the Western Hemisphere with the largest rooftop restaurant, called Coach Insignia. The complex contains many restaurants, a variety of shops, and the vehicle display known as GM World. GM donated its portion of the plaza and promenade to the Riverfront Conservancy upon completion. In 2006, a cruise-ship dock was added to Hart Plaza, adjacent to the Renaissance Center.
In 2003, General Motors completed a $500 million renovation of the Renaissance Center for its world headquarters which it had purchased in 1996. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Gensler, the Smith Group, and Ghafari Associates were among the architects for the renovation. The majority of the construction operations were led by Turner Construction Company. The renovation included the addition of a five-story Wintergarden which provides access to the Detroit International Riverfront.
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Work continued in and around the complex until 2005. The Renaissance Center totals 5.5 million square feet (511,000 m²), making it one of the world's largest office complexes. Cost estimates to build the Renaissance Center today could exceed $5 billion.

Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor

'Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor' is an urban state park in Michigan, and the only urban state park in the state. The park includes St. Aubin Marina. Located just east of downtown Detroit in the Near-East Riverfront, it covers 31 acres (12.5 hectares) on the Detroit River, and includes a 52-slip harbor of refuge. A 63-foot conical brick light tower marks the harbor entrance. The park's first phase opened in 2003.

Chene Park

'Chene Park' is located on the near east side of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Chene Street, along the banks of the Detroit River. Located just east of Tri-Centennial State Park and Harbor, it contains a 6,000-seat amphitheater where concerts are reguarly scheduled every summer. Jazz, Classic Soul and Rhythm and Blues acts are the staple of the season. The park also includes park trails, the Chene Park Fountain, and the Lake Lounge bar.
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has connected the park to the Renaissance Center along a riverside promenade.
The park's address is 2600 Atwater Street, Detroit, MI, 48207.

Belle Isle Park

'Belle Isle' is a 982 acre (3.9 km²; 2.42 mi²) island park in the Detroit River managed by the Detroit Recreation Department. It connects to the city by the MacArthur Bridge. It is home to the Detroit Yacht Club, the Detroit Boat Club, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, a Coast Guard post, a municipal golf course, a zoo which was closed in 2002 and an aquarium which was closed in 2005 due to budget constraints. The city still maintains a Nature Center where visitors are able to traverse wooded trails and view wildlife natural habitats. The island includes a half-mile (800 m) swimming beach, the only beach in the city of Detroit.
The island was settled by French colonists in the 18th century, who named it ''Île aux Cochons'' (Hog Island). In 1845 it was given its present name. The island was landscaped in the 1880s by Frederick Law Olmsted, a prominent urban park designer. The 1908 Belle Isle Casino building is not an actual gambling facility but rather, is used for occasional public events. A highlight of Belle Isle is the combination of the America's oldest public aquarium (closed in 2005) and a beautiful botanical garden in the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (1904), the nation's oldest conservatory. Both the casino and the conservatory were built by Detroit architect Albert Kahn, best known for developing open floor plan concrete factories. The island park was used as a staging ground for Iwo Jima during World War II. Architect Cass Gilbert designed Belle Isle's ''James Scott Memorial Fountain''. Gilbert's other works include the U. S. Supreme Court building in Washington, DC.^[3]
The island was home to a large herd of European fallow deer for more than 50 years. However, this isolated population fell prey to disease at the close of the 20th century. In 2004, the last of the 300 animals was captured and moved to the zoo property where some will remain as exhibits when it reopens as a nature center.
Additional recreational options include a nature center, wheelchair accessible nature trail, playground, picnic shelters, and tennis and basketball courts and baseball fields. In the 1940s there was a canoe concession and a band shell, and canoe riders often stopped nearby to enjoy the concert.
Each year, Belle Isle is rented for one day for to the traditional Hindu festival of Rathayatra.

Auto racing

In 1992, a temporary street race circuit was constructed on the isle for CART races. The island hosted ten events at Belle Isle from 1992-2001. In 2007, the race is set to return as part of the Indy Racing League and the American Le Mans Series.
The track is mentioned in the song 'Speedway at Nazareth' by Mark Knopfler.
''See main article: Detroit Indy Grand Prix''

Access

Metro Detroit has an extensive freeway system. Downtown freeways have been reconfigured for easy access to the riverfront. Mass transit, with bus services provided by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART), links to the riverfront. Cross border service between the downtown areas of Windsor and Detroit is provided by Transit Windsor via the Tunnel Bus. Routes and Schedules Transit Windsor. (See also: Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT)). An automated guideway transit system known as the People Mover provides a 2.9 mile (4.6 km) loop in the downtown area with riverfront access and usually operates daily.

Photo gallery

See also

★ Ambassador Bridge

★ Campus Martius Park

★ Detroit Electronic Music Festival

★ Detroit River

★ Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge

★ Detroit–Windsor Tunnel

★ Ford Detroit International Jazz Festival

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★ Sports in metropolitan Detroit

★ Tourism in metropolitan Detroit

★ Windsor-Detroit

Notes

1. Detroit News Editorial (December 13, 2002). At Last, Sensible Dream for Detroit's Riverfront. ''Detroit News''.
2. AIA Detroit Urban Priorities Committee, (1-10-2006).Top 10 Detroit Interiors''Model D Media''
3. Lochbiler, Don (compiled).Detroit's fountain of mirth Rearview Mirror, ''Detroit News''. Retrieved on June 14, 2007.

References and further reading

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External Links

★ Detroit Riverfront Conservancy

★ Detroit Wayne County Port Authority

★ Downtown Detroit Partnership

★ Great Lakes Cruising Coalition

★ Photography-plus.com

★ Riverfront Towers

★ Tri-Centennial State Park official website

★ Sea Grant Michigan