The Midtown neighborhood of Detroit is changing rapidly. We’re hearing that Midtown Inc., the non-profit development engine behind much of the resurgence in the neighborhood, is dropping $250,000 into a park next to Selden Standard (you can catch our review here).
Redmond Plaza is at the corner of Selden and Second and steps away not just from Selden Standard but new housing and the well-known Honest?Johns. It’s also a neighborhood in transition. The plan is to add electricity, repair lights and fixtures, trim trees, remove graffiti, and clean up the park. It will be maintained by Midtown Inc.
The park has quite a story to it. According to CityLiterate.com –
The Plaza pays homage to Robert Rene Redmond, a social worker and director of the neighborhood Senior Center. Robert worked alongside his father, Reverend Lewis Redmond [pastor of the Cass Methodist Episcopal Church] to boost the lives of residents living in Detroit’s Cass Corridor with special focus on seniors and the developmentally disabled. Their work changed lives for the better; it also set the foundation for the future social work at Cass Community Social Services.
On May 6, 1976 Robert Redmond was shot to death when trying to disarm a friend in a nearby apartment on 3rd Street. He was 24 and a doctoral student at Oakland University.
It’ll be great to see when it’s finished. We’ll be sure to check back in on it.
A hat tip to Bridge for the heads up.
