City of Detroit opens Helen Moore community center, Ed Davis Park

An asphalt parking lot has been turned into a new park and a shut-down community center has gotten a complete renovation. City officials and community activists Helen Moore recently gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the center bearing her name and the unveiling of Ed Davis Park. 

“There really was no one else this beautiful community center could be named after,” said Mayor Mike Duggan at the grand opening of Helen Moore Community Center and Ed Davis Park on Dexter Avenue in the Dexter-Linwood and Russell Woods neighborhoods. “Nobody has fought and worked as hard for this community and for this center than Helen Moore. As this neighborhood continues to rebuild, generations of Detroiters will always remember her contributions every time they drive past or walk through these doors.” 

Formerly known as the Dexter-Elmhurst Community Center, the building was previously owned by a neighborhood nonprofit run by Moore. The center closed in 2019 and sat vacant after the repairs to the deteriorated building became too costly. The city acquired the building in December 2022. The Helen Moore Community Center was renovated by the city’s facilities team.

 It will be operated by the recreation department and includes a new gym, fitness room, computer lab, art and STEM rooms, multipurpose rooms, kitchen classroom, locker rooms and offices. The total project came to $11.9 million, including construction and architectural drawings costs, and was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The gym is dedicated in honor of Michael Lee Searcy, a past director for Dexter-Elmhurst Community Center who died in 2023.

Another major aspect of the neighborhood project is the construction of Ed Davis Park, named after a pioneering Detroit businessman who owned an auto dealership — the first Black-owned auto franchise dealership in the country — on the site of the park that now bears his name. Davis died in 1999. Ed Davis Park features a multi-sports court, fitness equipment with a shade sail canopy, a playground, a drinking fountain, picnic shelter with barbecue amenities, benches, and picnic tables.

“Today is a glorious day for our community as I look around,” said Helen Moore. “It’s been a long, long journey trying to make this center something that we all would be proud of and today I am really proud of it.

The City of Detroit worked with Detroit Land Bank Authority to acquire 12 lots adjacent to Helen Moore Community Center for a new parking lot behind the building and a larger alley.  Construction also included closing Tuxedo St. at Dexter Ave. to create a plaza to connect the community center and park.

“As someone who grew up in this neighborhood, seeing the Helen Moore Community Center and Ed Davis Park come to life means more than I can express,” said Councilmember Fred Durhal III. “Helen Moore and Ed Davis showed us what commitment to Detroit looks like, and now their names stand over a place built for joy, connection, and opportunity. This transformation gives our youth a safe place to grow, our seniors a welcoming space to stay connected, and our families a renewed sense of pride. Today is a proud day for District 7, and a hopeful step toward the future our community deserves.”

Source: City of Detroit Photos: Courtesy of the City of Detroit