Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Elton Park Corktown, located along Michigan Avenue and Trumbull in Detroit, began in 2015 as an approach to introduce new market-rate residential opportunities within several vacant parcels near the former Tiger Stadium. Nearly five years later, Elton Park Corktown is providing new residences for Detroit’s community. HAA designed and documented five separate buildings comprising the development. One additional building (the Checker Cab) was also renovated.
Together, 151 multi-family housing units, active ground floor retail spaces, a new activated public alley, and concealed and protected spaces for vehicular parking, all comprise Elton Park Corktown. With the announcement two years ago that Ford Motor Company plans to renovate the Michigan Central Depot for its autonomous vehicle research team as well as the city’s launch of a new framework plan for historic Corktown, Elton Park Corktown has emerged as a bellwether for the neighborhood. Indeed, Corktown has come a long way since Daniel Burnham’s original sketches for Corktown’s train station.
The vision of HAA was to introduce several low-rise / high-density buildings that would add the density the developer desired. Balancing the necessary density with balconies, roof terraces, and overhauling a historic alley for pedestrian programs, the HAA architects were organized into separate design and production teams in order to assure the creation of five, distinct building expressions. In fact, each building boasts a specific place-name (The Robertson, The Crawford, 2100 Trumbull & 2120 Trumbull and the 8th Street Row townhomes), tied to historic places and individuals.