Clio Logo
Spirit of Detroit: Woodward Ave to the Detroit River
Item 13 of 21

The historic center of Detroit, Campus Martius was laid out as the center of the city following the fire of 1805 that destroyed many of the first buildings in the area. Campus Maritus translates to "military ground"- a reference to this area's original use as training ground for the militia in the late 1700s. Until 1847, when the city government voted to fill in the once-marshy area in a major engineering project, the ground around Campus Maritus was of little commercial value.


Overview of Campus Martius Park (image from Glass Door)

Overview of Campus Martius Park (image from Glass Door)

Martius Park in winter, 2015 (image from the Huffington Post)

Martius Park in winter, 2015 (image from the Huffington Post)

Summer in Martius Park, with Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Life in Leggings Blog)

Summer in Martius Park, with Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Life in Leggings Blog)

View of the grounds (image from the State of Michigan)

View of the grounds (image from the State of Michigan)

Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Detroit: The History and Future of the Motor City)

Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Detroit: The History and Future of the Motor City)

Woodward Fountain in Campus Martius Park (image from Listen Detroit)

Woodward Fountain in Campus Martius Park (image from Listen Detroit)

Woodward Fountain (image from Campus Martius Park)

Woodward Fountain (image from Campus Martius Park)

Spring plantings in the park (image from Campus Martius Park)

Spring plantings in the park (image from Campus Martius Park)

Campus Martius circa 1910-1920 (image from Wikimedia Commons)

Campus Martius circa 1910-1920 (image from Wikimedia Commons)

Historic photo of Campus Martius (image from Wayne State University)

Historic photo of Campus Martius (image from Wayne State University)

Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Historic Detroit)

Soldiers and Sailors Monument (image from Historic Detroit)

The area's fortunes have mirrored the fortune of the city, rising in value through the boom years of postwar Detroit and waning in value as residents abandoned the downtown area in the late 20th century. With an ambitious urban redevelopment plan that included millions in public and private investment throughout the downtown area, the city announced that plans to redevelop this two-square-block area into one f the finest public parks in the world. The new Campus Maritus Park was completed in 2004. In addition to weekly festivals and daily events throughout the park, the corner of Monroe and Woodward Ave still serves as the "Point of Origin" for the city, as each of the city;s major streets have their origin at this central plaza.