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Years after it was razed, Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood revived in digital form

Michigan Public | By Stateside Staff
Published February 28, 2017 at 4:12 PM EST
In this historical photo, a group stands outside of a drugstore on the corner of St. Aubin and Mullett streets on May 8, 1950 in Black Bottom, an area that was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
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In this historical photo, a group stands outside of a drugstore on the corner of St. Aubin and Mullett streets on May 8, 1950 in Black Bottom, an area that was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
Burton Collection
In this historical photo, neighbors enjoy their front porches on May 8, 1950 located at 1981 Mullett St. in Black Bottom,
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In this historical photo, neighbors enjoy their front porches on May 8, 1950 located at 1981 Mullett St. in Black Bottom.
Burton Collection
Two men wait outside 2135 Mullett St. on May 8, 1950 in Black Bottom, the ancestral neighborhood of many metro Detroit African-Americans.
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Two men wait outside 2135 Mullett St. on May 8, 1950 in Black Bottom, the ancestral neighborhood of many metro Detroit African-Americans.
Burton Collection
In this historical photo, a woman walks past 963 E. Lafayette St. on July 22, 1949 in Black Bottom before it was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
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In this historical photo, a woman walks past 963 E. Lafayette St. on July 22, 1949 in Black Bottom before it was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
Burton Collection
In this historical photo a boy stands on the sidewalk near 973 E. Lafayette St. on July 22, 1949 in Black Bottom, an area that was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
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In this historical photo a boy stands on the sidewalk near 973 E. Lafayette St. on July 22, 1949 in Black Bottom, an area that was torn down in the 1950s to make way for the Chrysler Freeway and the Detroit Medical Center.
Burton Collection

In today’s Detroit Free Press, there's an article titled Bringing Detroit’s Black Bottom back to (virtual) life.

It tells the story of a young Detroit architect named Emily Kutil who's trying to bring a neighborhood that no longer exists back to life ... in digital form. 
Bill McGraw wrote that article, and he joined Stateside today.

McGraw said it all began when Kutil stumbled upon a treasure trove of more than 800 photos from the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library. The photos were of a long-lost neighborhood called Black Bottom, once located at the current site of Lafayette Park on the east side of downtown.

"[Kutil is] someone who is into geography and the history of Detroit and she's also ... very good with a computer," McGraw said. "And she's stitching together these hundreds of photos to create a Google Street scene of pre-1950's Detroit for this neighborhood." 

McGraw said Black Bottom holds important cultural significance for people throughout the region.

"It is the neighborhood where many African Americans, not only in Detroit, but in Southeast Michigan trace their roots to," McGraw said.

Listen to the full interview above to hear how Black Bottom began, what it was like and how it ended.

You'll also hear about the Detroit Free Press' upcoming documentary about the 1967 uprising in Detroit, 12th and Clairmount. It premieres March 30.

(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or with this RSS link)
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Arts & Life DetroitDetroit history
Stateside Staff
Stateside is produced daily by a dedicated group of producers and production assistants. Listen daily, on-air, at 3 and 8 p.m., or subscribe to the daily podcast wherever you like to listen.
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