Grandmont Rosedale is not really an area one visits so much as it is one where neighbors get together to plan events that provide entertainment and camaraderie for one another. That doesn’t mean that outsiders aren’t welcome to partake in the fun — and chances are, if you have friends or family living in
North Rosedale Park,
Rosedale Park,
Grandmont or
Grandmont #1, you already have.
Much of the activity in the area centers around the
North Rosedale Community House. The neighborhood theater troupe, The Park Players, rehearses and performs two or three shows a year there; every spring sees a flower sale and every September, a steak roast. History buffs shouldn’t miss the Detroit 300-funded posters on display that document and illustrate the history of the neighborhood.
The park adjacent to the Community House is home to children’s sports games and is the central location for the neighborhood’s annual June Day. Headed into its 76th year, the extravaganza features food, music, games, a parade — basically everything that kids dig.
Every September is the North Rosedale Park
Home and Garden Tour, a chance to sneak peeks into some of Detroit’s most gorgeously-crafted homes.
Grandmont hosts an arts and crafts fair at
Ramsay Park every year, as well as a garden tour, a summer potluck, and a holiday home tour; while Rosedale Park plans a neighborhood Easter egg hunt, an autumn golf outing, and a children’s holiday festival. There are also several neighborhood-wide garage sales for all those bargain hunters to prowl.
One more reason to visit Grandmont Rosedale is in the works.
Grandmont Rosedale Development Corp. (GRDC) is working to start up a small-scale farmer’s market at Bushnell Church located at the southeast corner of Grand River and the Southfield Freeway. The market will feature the locally grown produce of about eight farmers as well as entertainment. GRDC hopes to see the market up and running this summer.
Shopping and eating
Grand River, Grandmont Rosedale’s main street, is mainly geared towards servicing its residents’ basic needs, but it does offer a couple of unique stores that make a shopping excursion worthwhile.
Exotic Furniture recently opened its doors on Grand River near Outer Drive. It is the first store in Michigan to carry the high-end Pacific Green line of furniture. Each piece of furniture is hand crafted in Fiji, is comfortable and well made, and possesses a modern aesthetic that suits lofts perfectly. Anyone furnishing even one room of their home should at least peruse the stock at Exotic for inspiration.
Just down the road, closer to the Southfield Freeway, is
Rosedale Aquarium. It’s pretty much what you would expect from an aquarium shop: fish, plants, and well, aquariums, but there’s a twist: the owners raise an unusual breed of salt-water stingrays called Motoro Rays.
If you work up an appetite while in Grandmont Rosedale, you can refuel at neighborhood mainstays
Omega Coney Island or
Al’s Rosedale Café, or check out the newest entry to the neighborhood’s culinary scene,
George’s Ham & Corned Beef. Word on the street is that AM radio personality Mildred Gaddis sings George’s praise all over the airwaves.
Just around the corner
The International Gospel Music Hall of Fame sits on the northern boundary of the neighborhood on McNichols near Rosemont. Dedicated to the preservation of gospel music’s heritage and to educating the public about the music’s history and legacy, visitors to the museum can learn about gospel music legends and even buy a recording of themselves singing a gospel track. Visits to the hall of fame cost $4 and are by appointment only; call 313.592.0017.
West of Grandmont Rosedale, on Lahser a bit north of Grand River, is the legendary
Redford Theatre — the only still-functional neighborhood cinema of the many that once populated Detroit. The Redford regularly shows classic films and, because the Motor City Theatre Organ Society operates it, also features live organ performances prior to film screenings.
For more information about Grandmont Rosedale visit the Model D
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Moving Guide
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Investing Guide
Directions to Grandmont Rosedale
From the East:
Take I-94 West and merge onto I-696 West via Exit 229 toward Lansing. Take Exit 13 toward Greenfield Rd. Turn left onto Greenfield Rd and then turn right onto West 10 Mile Rd. Turn left onto Southfield Rd which becomes MI-39 South/Southfield Fwy. Take Exit 12 toward M-5/Grand River Ave/Fenkell Ave. Stay straight to go onto Southfield Fwy and turn right onto Fenkell Ave. Arrive at Grand River Ave in Grandmont Rosedale.
From the North:
Take I-75 South toward Detroit and merge onto I-696 via Exit 61 toward Lansing. Take Exit 13 toward Greenfield Rd. Turn left onto Greenfield Rd and then turn right onto West 10 Mile Rd. Turn left onto Southfield Rd which becomes MI-39 South/Southfield Fwy. Take Exit 12 toward M-5/Grand River Ave/Fenkell Ave. Stay straight to go onto Southfield Fwy and turn right onto Fenkell Ave. Arrive at Grand River Ave in Grandmont Rosedale.
From the West:
Take I-96 East and merge onto I-696 East via Exit 163 on the left toward Port Huron/Grand River Ave. Merge onto John C Lodge Fwy/M-10 via Exit 8 toward US-24/Telegraph Rd. Take the M-39/Southfield Fwy exit and merge onto the Southfield Fwy South. Take Exit 12 toward M-5/Grand River Ave/Fenkell Ave. Stay straight to go onto Southfield Fwy and turn right onto Fenkell Ave. Arrive at Grand River Ave in Grandmont Rosedale.
From the South:
Take I-94 East toward Detroit and take the M-39/Southfield Fwy/Pelham Rd. exit, Exit 204. Take the M-39/Southfield Fwy exit on the left. Merge onto M-39 North/Southfield Fwy via the exit on the left. Take Exit 12 toward M-5/Grand River Ave/Fenkell Ave. Stay straight to go onto Southfield Fwy to Grand River Ave. Arrive in Grandmont Rosedale.
Take I-75 North toward Detroit and merge onto M-39 North. Take Exit 12 toward M-5/Grand River Ave/Fenkell Ave. Stay straight to go onto Southfield Fwy to Grand River Ave. Arrive in Grandmont Rosedale.
Photos:Exotic FurnitureNorth Rosedale ParkRosedale AquariumRedford Theatre
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger