Choosing to live in New Center makes a lot of sense when you consider its central location, safe, well-lit streets, bustling nightlife, range of available retail, youth amenities and wide variety of housing options. Greg Herbert, whose Orton Development is renovating the vacant Argonaut Building into retail and office space along with 275 loft units, said the neighborhood has plenty of allure. “People want to live in a neighborhood. New Center has a downtown side to it, but it includes a solid residential environment," Herbert said. “Plus, there is a wide range of services in New Center and surrounding New Center that creates an amenity base that is unusual in Detroit.”
Looking to buy? You can basically pick and choose from every single housing type available on the market today. If you’re lucky, you might find a historic home in Virginia Park or New Center Commons for sale. Turnover has been extremely low since General Motors made a major investment in the late 1970s to preserve and improve these districts. That might have something to do with the historic lighting, brick sidewalks and well-maintained entries. Or maybe it's because the houses are of such fine stock. Expect to pay in the $200-300,000 range for such quality and stability.
Convenience and comfort
Bruce Mangrum moved into a Crosswinds-developed Uptown Row townhouse in 2001, the year they were constructed. Mangrum works for General Motors, which is why he initially moved to the neighborhood approximately 13 years ago. However, when GM decided to move downtown, Mangrum stayed put. “I was very comfortable where I was. The alternative was going to the suburbs, but I thought about the drive, and how comfortable I was in New Center," Mangrum said. “I can’t walk home for a power nap at lunch-time anymore, but I’m still only five minutes to and from work.”
Mangrum serves as president of his condominium’s association and said that the activity in the neighborhood impresses his fellow Uptown Row residents. “There’s a lot going on in New Center that we appreciate. There are festivals, food and we can walk to the theater,” he said. Mangrum recommends FitnessWorks as one of the city’s premier workout facilities and heads to Café Java for some music or a poetry reading. Mangrum also said that since becoming a homeowner he visits one of the local businesses regularly. “I’m at Detroit Hardware on a daily basis. I go for advice, and they’re very friendly,” Mangrum said. Uptown Row townhouses sell for an average of $169,000 and are located in a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone.
Some New Center-ites choose an apartment-style condominium as their dwelling. Gramont Manor was renovated by the Farbman Group into 50 moderately-priced condos that sell for approximately $90,000. Additionally, there are plans in the works that call for the conversion of a portion of the St. Regis Hotel into 900 square-feet condominiums that will range in price from $90-120,000.
Housing meets demand
As elsewhere in the city, lofts are an increasingly popular housing selection in New Center. In fact, to meet the demand, Crosswinds is building them from scratch as opposed to the typical warehouse conversion loft development. The Lofts at New Center consist of 82 1,280 square-feet two-story loft-style condominiums that start at $149,000. Mike Wilson, an engineer for Ford Motor Company, purchased one of the Lofts a few years ago. “I liked the layout of the condo. I liked the architecture and the quality,” Wilson said.
Wilson said what makes New Center his neighborhood-of-choice is that it is a stable residential community with nice greenspace. "It’s connected to a commercial district that has the Fisher Building as an anchor with the Cadillac Place right across the street," Wilson said. "They’re at about 100% occupancy, and that bodes well for this neighborhood.”
Wilson also frequents Fitness Works, which is part of the extensive Henry Ford Health Care system that is woven throughout New Center. He goes to New Center Eatery for breakfast on the weekends, stops into Mr. Z’s Villa from time to time and regularly takes in plays and concerts at the Fisher Theater. “I like that there’s a bunch of little shops around here that I can go to whenever I need,” Wilson said.
More lofts are in the pipeline, such as the previously-mentioned Argonaut Building redevelopment. Also, Jonna Construction in association with New Center Council (NCC) is developing the New Amsterdam Project. This four-block area in southern New Center includes the renovation of two buildings that will bring 89 lofts onto the market as well as the construction of 28 additional housing units. A percentage of these will be offered at a subsidized rate.
Options abound
Not ready to buy? There’s still plenty of choices. Apartments and flats in New Center rent from $250 to over $1,000 per month. A good resource for rentals is UCCA’s website and The Monitor. Apartment options include New Center Apartments on Milwaukee, The Richmond Apartments on Lothrup and Seward Plaza on Seward Street.
There are even more amenities in New Center that bear mentioning. Clothing can be purchased at the Biz-R Collection, Pure Detroit, Vera Jane and The Fashion Place. As far as grocery shopping goes, University Foods is not far away on Warren at the Lodge, and Eastern Market is less than two miles away. There’s the Northern Lights Lounge for nighttime hanging and Tangent Gallery and the Detroit Gallery of Contemporary Arts to get your art fix.
As far as recreation goes, NCC is working to improve the existing New Center Park by adding an outdoor movie screen and band pavilion. “NCC-produced park concerts would create a ‘quality of life’ benefit for New Center residents,” said Karen Gage, NCC’s Economic Development and Planning Coordinator. This plan netted the organization a State of Michigan Cool Cities Neighborhood in Progress designation in 2005.
Family time and safety
New Center is definitely a child-friendly community. It’s home to the Detroit Children’s Museum and University Preparatory Academy, a charter high school that provides space for the Mosaic Youth Theatre. It offers several child-care facilities; Rainbow Child Development Center is conveniently located inside the New Center One building. New Center is also home to YouthVille, a 75,000 square-feet comprehensive youth development center on Woodward just north of W. Grand Boulevard. The facility offers modern dance, fencing, music, archery and many other activities to young people 11-19 years of age.
If overall safety is a concern, Orton Development's Herbert would like to put those fears to rest. “It’s clean and well-lit. It’s got if not the lowest, one of the lowest crime rates in the city," Herbert said. "The state police are so visible — their presence has enhanced what was already one of the most secure and crime-free areas of the city.”
Another intangible that New Center can boast is location, location, location. New Center is centrally located not just within Detroit, but the region. It also has quick and easy freeway access. Longtime resident Mangrum said it's an advantage to have a six-lane highway bordering your neighborhood. “(New Center) is right off the Lodge," Mangrum said, "and you can get anywhere on the Lodge in 10 minutes.”
Even more notable is New Center’s transit access. It is home to the Detroit Amtrak Station as well as the proposed Intermodal Train Station that is intended to link Amtrak trains to buses, taxi cabs, and, potentially, light-rail along Woodward Aveneu. Even now, Herbert said that New Center is one of the metro area's key transportation hubs. “New Center is well positioned from a public transit perspective," Herbert said. "The major bus lines are all within a block or two away.”
Directions to New Center
From the East:
Take I-94 West to Exit 215C toward M-1/Woodward Ave/Brush St. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy East. Turn right onto Woodward and arrive in New Center.
From the North:
Take I-75 South to Exit 54 toward Clay Ave/E Grand Blvd. Stay straight to go onto Chrysler Dr., and then turn right onto Grand Blvd East. Arrive in New Center.
From the West:
Take I-96 East and merge onto I-94 via Exit 190A toward Port Huron. Continue to M-1/Woodward Exit 215C toward John R St. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy East and turn right onto John R St. and right again onto Hendrie St. Turn right onto Woodward and arrive in New Center.
From the South:
Take I-94 East toward Detroit. Continue to M-1/Woodward Exit 215C toward John R St. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy East and turn right onto John R St. and right again onto Hendrie St. Turn right onto Woodward and arrive in New Center.
Take I-75 North toward Detroit and merge onto I-96 West/Jefferies Fwy via Exit 48 on the left toward Lansing. Merge onto I-94 East toward Port Huron. Continue to M-1/Woodward Exit 215C toward John R St. Stay straight to go onto Edsel Ford Fwy East and turn right onto John R St. and right again onto Hendrie St. Turn right onto Woodward and arrive in New Center.
Photos:
Fisher Building
New Center Commons
Fitness Works
Lofts at New Center
The Argonaut Building
New Center One Atrium
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger