Detroit Historical Society Launches Interactive Walking tour of Historic Black Bottom District

The Detroit Historical Society is debuting a new, interactive exhibit honoring the history of Detroit’s Black Bottom neighborhood.

“Invoking the Spirit: Detroit’s Black Bottom” will open on Sept. 15 in Lafayette Park, in partnership with Design Core Detroit and Octane Design for the 2021 Detroit Month of Design, with community partnership from Bailey Park Neighborhood Development Corporation and Black Bottom Archives.

The self-directed walking tour is told through the lens of former Black Bottom residents and their descendants.

Experience the tour anytime by walking through Detroit’s Lafayette Plaisance Park (1592 Antietam Ave, Detroit, MI 48207). It will be on display through 2022.

Each stop on the tour is indicated by a colorful marker with historical photos, information and QR codes. To explore further, just scan the code with your smart phone. Some elements can be accessed using any mobile device (no smart phone needed).

Tourgoers will be in ‘conversation’ with Black Bottom residents through oral histories, images, video and everyday neighborhood narratives from the ones who knew it best – the neighbors.

Black Bottom was a predominately Black neighborhood in Detroit that was demolished for redevelopment in the late 1950s, and was replaced with the Lafayette Park district and I-375. (Read more here from DHS)