Midtown Magic

Inside the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Rivera Court, Thornetta Davis,
Detroit blues diva, dressed in copper metallic clothes and with
sparkles in her hair, rocked her way through Christmas tunes to a
standing room only audience last Friday night.

Others browsed the galleries, serenaded by her melodies, and then
spilled out onto Woodward to hear the Salvation Army band playing “Joy
to the World,” with thousands singing along.

The annual Noel Night worked its magic again on the estimated crowd of
25,000 people, many of them suburbanites, says Maureen Riley,
spokeswoman for the sponsoring group, the University Cultural Center Association.

Noel Night is as much a time of discovery as it is a time of
rediscovery, when people who haven’t been in Detroit for a while can
get reaquainted with some of Detroit’s finest attractions.

“You see this look of wonder on people’s faces — they are truly excited to be in the museums,” Riley says.

Midtown regulars bring their friends and point out the coolest
pictures, wildest entertainment and best food available on this chilly
but festive night.

I’ve been dragging friends to Noel Night for 10 years. Once initiated,
the friends started multiplying. At first it was just a handful of
couples, now they come by the dozens.


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Noel Night offers visitors a chance to sample much of what Midtown has to offer. Many leave wanting more.

“We’re coming back next Friday to see the Rodin exhibit,” says Cheryl
Smolinsky of Berkley. She took a peek at the statues on Noel Night and
promptly bought tickets so she and her husband could view the whole
show. “There’s never enough time to see everything on Noel Night,” she
says.

Each year our group, which first clusters at First Congregational
Church to plot our strategies, gathers again later to share purchases
and stories over drinks at the Inn on Ferry Street.

Marilyn Trent and Rod Birleson of Rochester rent a suite at this
lovely inn just north of the Detroit Institute of Arts each year,
capping a perfect evening with an overnight stay in four-poster beds.
You look out on a street scene of fine centennial mansions, something
akin to the ritzy dog’s dwelling on Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp.”

Scenes like these make events like Noel Night the perfect opportunity
for suburbanites to see how the tide is shifting around the cultural
center.

More people, especially young singles, are moving into this part of the
city to capture a bit of this experience year round. Developers Colin
Hubbell and Julio Bateau are renovating old buildings and constructing
new townhouses along Ferry, just east of the 100-year-old mansions that
became the Inn on Ferry Street.

The Park Shelton apartments are going condominium, and the Detroit Institute of Arts
is doubling in size.

Each year, Noel Night horse and carriage rides pass more and more lit
buildings, renovated structures and gaily decorated lampposts as nearly all the surrounding neighborhoods are renewed.

Now, another Noel Night has ended. While the carolers and the crowds
of that snowy December evening are gone, some of the magic of Noel
Night still lingers — from the DIA’s Rivera Court to the Detroit Artists Market. There’s enchantment in Midtown Detroit all year round.

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Thornetta Davis at the DIA



Santa at the Detroit Historical Museum



Singers on the CCS Campus



Victorian Carolers on Woodward

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All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger