Village Voices

Before the GAP and Starbucks, New York’s West Village was a bohemian
center, filled with artists, musicians and writers who wiled away the
hours in eclectic coffee houses and corner bars. Although undoubtedly
smaller, Detroit’s West Village has a similar vibe.

Located
three miles east of downtown, adjacent to Indian Village, West Village
is a national historic district featuring a unique mix of single and
two-family homes built between 1890 and 1920. I moved here seven years
ago, attracted by its close proximity to downtown and the waterfront,
its eclectic mix of people and, of course, awesome affordable housing.
While Indian Village mansions were beyond my pocketbook, West Village
was an excellent alternative, offering smaller, but still
architecturally impressive homes. And while not without its urban
problems, this unique community is getting hipper by the moment,
becoming a desirable destination for area artists, musicians and other
self-professed city lovers.

“I moved here just over a year
ago mainly because I could get a lot of house for my money,” says Nick
Cucinella, 27, major account executive for dot-com giant
Careerbuilder.com. Nick looked all over metro Detroit—Ferndale, Royal
Oak and Birmingham—before settling on Detroit’s West Village. “But then
I met some of the neighbors, and it sealed the deal. People here are,
for the most part, interesting and culturally aware. It’s a cool group.”

Nick
is part of the cool. In his spare time, he plays the trombone for, and
tours with, Motown legends the Temptations. And he’s just one of
numerous creative dwellers. On my tiny block alone there are three
musicians, two writers (counting me), a producer, an art promoter,
filmmaker, restaurateur and former DJ, who just started a radio station
out of his basement.

West Village is also attracting hipsters
from abroad. After watching the film 8 Mile, Marie Wallace became so
intrigued with our city that she up and left Paris and moved to Detroit
(really!). After spending some time hotel hopping along lower East
Jefferson, Marie settled into West Village and has just purchased a
home here. “West Village has a very creative appeal,” says Wallace.
“It’s beautiful with tree-lined streets and elegant homes. The people
here are also laid-back and cool—and very welcoming. Everyone was so
helpful when I came here. This is like a small town where everyone
knows each other and cares for each other. It’s really unique.”

What’s
also unique about West Village is that it is a mix of residential and
rental properties, making it home to a diverse group of people,
including an increasing number of students from Wayne State University
and the College for Creative Studies. Pop into local coffee house The
Village at 1417 Van Dyke, and you’ll see your fair share of sideburns,
shaggy hair and vintage Ts. “In the last year, my business has
increased tremendously,” says Village owner Nurah Stanley. “Most of my
customers are musicians, fashion designers, poets and students who live
in the area. They are very diverse in culture with a strong
appreciation for each other. It’s a great group.”

For me, this
influx of youngsters is attractive. As someone closer to 40 than 20, I
like regularly interacting with younger minds. It keeps me up on new
artists and musicians, not to mention other cultural trends. It also
provides me with a lengthy roster of hip babysitters, people who do
things with my kids like taking them to “Fridays at the DIA” to see
techno artist Kevin Sanderson. You probably don’t get that in Shelby
Township.

Keepin’ the WV on the DL

It’s
a Friday night, and my neighbor Muffy Kroha’s birthday party is
overflowing with the who’s who of Detroit’s music scene. Muffy is
senior visual manager for Neimen Marcus at the Somerset Collection, as
well as lead singer for the glam rock band the Sirens. Needless to say,
she has arguably the coolest home this side of the Atlantic, featuring
a Who-themed bedroom, seashell-covered bathroom and a
basement-turned-leopard lounge, complete with bar and dance floor.
Hanging out in this later locale, I’m chatting with two filmmakers in
town from LA. Neither one could believe they were in Detroit. “This is
a really cool little neighborhood—a great scene. I grew up in the
suburbs here and never knew this place existed!”

This is the
kind of comment some West Villagers like and don’t like. We like our
neighborhood small and tight-knit. But we also know we could benefit
from new businesses and development, and some of us (like me) are
hopeful this kind of activity is right around the corner.

Dare I say the “G” word?

Given
its location, West Village is actually well positioned for development.
Nearby, construction is already underway on Detroit’s 31-acre
Tricentennial State Park. The park includes a promenade that will
ultimately stretch from Gabriel Richard Park near the MacArthrur (Belle
Isle) Bridge to the Ambassador Bridge. This means, within the next year
I’ll be able to step out my door and within minutes jog, bicycle or
enjoy other recreational activities on approximately 30 acres of
parkland alongside the Detroit River. I can even pop into a Starbucks
(on East Jefferson and East Grand Blvd.) along the way—now that’s city
living!

A few blocks north of here, Messiah Housing
Corporation is working on nearly a half-dozen infill developments,
creating attractive, affordable housing for low-to-moderate income
individuals and families. A few blocks east, the Jefferson Avenue
Housing Development Corporation, in conjunction with East Village, LLC,
is in the middle of a comprehensive rehabilitation project that
involves the construction of approximately 250 new houses and the
rehabilitation of nearly 75 more. Add this to the already established
Indian Village neighborhood, and the numerous recently refurbished
condominiums on the riverfront, and some people might begin to the
throw the  “g” word around (gentrification). While that’s
premature or not, development in and around West Village is definitely
underway, and I for one am glad of it.

A Neighborhood on the Rise
In
New York’s West Village, real estate developers eventually followed the
artists, drawn by the increasing appeal of the neighborhood, not to
mention property values. Wise investors may look to West Village for
similar happenings. Like the rest of Detroit, West Village home values
have increased at a greater rate than homes in surrounding suburbs.
Even still, today you can get a lot of great home for your money here.
And with it, you’ll be surrounded by a growing group of culturally
aware, community-focused neighbors that increasingly make life in West
Village an exciting bohemian adventure.

---

West Village Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger