The Grand Army of the Republic Building has a façade that appears to be made out of sandstone.  The…read morebuilding has aged nicely.  At one point, apparently, it was becoming just another derelict structure in downtown Detroit but the city is building once again.  This building is well situated, was well made and is historically important as it was only built as a tribute to members of the Grand Army of the Republic (the victorious Union forces in the American Civil War) but was built and used by them. At this time there are a couple of clubs and restaurants on the first floor.  It looks like office space is available upstairs so if you or someone you know is looking for a great place to run their business from - come a runnin'! In the lobby there is a very nice, though sparse, tribute to the Grand Army of the Republic.  You can't miss the tile floor with the GAR symbol on it.  While cruising past check out the first floor staircase and the classic carved wooden pineapple on the top of the stairway post.  What art!

This historic building is amazing. Now that Parks& Rec and Republic have opened, we can finally see…read morewhat this building's insides are like. The owner of Republic took me and some friends on a tour, it was great. He and his team found lots of historic stuff after they started working on the building. This place is one of the most beautiful and interesting buildings in the city. There is also a lot of stuff going on on the upper floors of the GAR. This is just another reminder of the city's growth over the years.

John Judson Bagley, Michigan's 16th governor (1873-1877), left $5,000 in his will for a public…read moredrinking fountain that would provide "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream." Bagley was also Detroit's police commissioner and a key figure in founding the Republican Party and Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company. The fountain was designed in 1885 by Henry Hobson Richardson after one in Venice's St. Mark's Basilica and is made from pink granite. It features four lion heads. It has moved around Detroit a few times, landing here in Cadillac Square in 2007. It the only surviving work by Richardson in the Detroit area, making it a rare architectural gem and while it wasn't flowing today, it's still worth stopping to check out. [Review 690 of 2025 - 397 in Michigan - 24251 overall]

This is a neat thing to see while we were in Detroit visiting. When I came across the balor…read moreMemorial in Fountain this was actually Detroit first public water fountain. It was made in the 1800s and stand strong and tall right in Detroit still. It's cool thing to see you when you're in the area I like visiting things like this

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hare! Hare! Hare! Every Sunday night at six - a fabulous Vedic vegetarian…read morefeast, presented by lovable blissed out Hare Krishnas at a gorgeous, occasionally gloriously dilapidated old auto baron jet-setting Playboy's mansion. The wildest of the seven Fisher brothers hopped around the globe collecting exquisite decor for the inside of his Spanish style, Charles Howard Crane designed mansion. He had a fountain filled with champagne for party guests. And when he died he left it to the Hare Krishnas for all eternity, or until the rapture, whichever comes first. The Krishnas added the awesome psychedelic Hindu art to go with the outlandish fusion of styles Fisher had already built into the mansion. Then they decided the place's good time legacy should continue, so they decided to throw a celebration every Sunday. Dinner's at six. It's better when it's nice out because it's served outside and you can go and sit on the expansive lawn. Tonight we saw kids chasing around a squirrel that was obviously playing with them. The food usually is pretty tasty with stuff like spicy lentils, corn and cous cous fritters a vegetable medley and a sweet/spicy yogurt for dessert. At a $2 per person/$5 per family suggested donation. You can't beat it with a Siva stick and it won't make you feel like McDeath inside. After dinner they play music, sing, dance and generally get their Krishna groove on. Epic. If you're looking for some quiet serenity while you digest your food, go down and sit on one of the benches by the adjacent canal. Things are a looking a little more overgrown and frayed at the edges around that part of the estate. A fine place to get your meditation thinkings on. They give tours, too. I took one for the second time tonight. Our tour good was, like, an Ann Arbor stoner who said "like" a lot and was comically uniformed about the mansion's history. But he was really friendly just like everybody else there. Some old lady who had crazy Mrs. Slocum hair just kind of took over the tour at one point, and I don't know what was funnier - her sarcasm or his stonerism. I took three first timers there tonight and they all thanked me for exposing them to such awesomeness. And now, Ye of Yelp can make such awesomeness yours, too.

Please remove the "closed" designation from this entry! After having a near heart-attack last…read morenight upon seeing that, I made a frantic call to them and got the scoop-they are open still. Designed to Lawrence Fisher's whims in a mishmash of styles, this majestic old house has been run by the Hare Krishna movement for many years. This place will always remain near and dear to my quirky Detroit-loving heart, as it's one of the most unique spots I've ever seen. It's where I had my first tastes of Indian cooking while giggling as peacocks loudly copulated outside on the patio. The grounds are still a lovely little oasis with stone paths, stairways, and large statues of Hindu deities to discover. It's right on the water..well a canal, anyway, and you may happen upon the home base of a rowing club that shares some of the property. The house itself is a bizarre and fabulous juxtaposition of old auto baron decor and beautiful East Indian imagery. Take the tour and along with the interesting info on Fisher's house and life, you'll get to see a ballroom that's been converted into an ornate multi-altared worship area (you'll have to remove your shoes while walking through here). Services are held at various times through the day and evening, but on Sunday a delicious vegetarian feast prepared for those who attend. There are two incredibly lifelike wax figures of the man who brought the Krishna Consciousness movement here from India that you'll see as well. The people are friendly and fun, and the house is full of interesting design details. You'll see children playing, check out a painting used by George Harrison for an album cover, and I hear that the amazing downstairs display had been restored to its original beauty! Incense and curry fills the air. It's echoey and reverent and if you are open to the quirkier side of life, check out this very hidden Detroit gem. Note: When you call their number, they often don't answer. Just leave a voicemail and someone usually gets back with you soon.

This marker is located in front of a classic looking building that was formerly the Central High…read moreSchool. It points out the history of the university that is now based here. The marker reads, "Here in the Central High building, completed in 1896, was founded in 1917 Detroit Junior College, from which grew a college of liberal arts. It united with other colleges, some begun here and some bearing notable histories in other parts of the city, to form a municipal institution, which in 1934 was named Wayne University. The oldest college, that of medicine, began in 1868. Wayne, with its ten colleges and schools, was sustained by the people of Detroit through their board of education until 1956, when it became a state university." Wayne State University is Michigan's third-largest university and has more than 8000 graduate and nearly 17,000 undergraduate students. Graduates include news anchor Hugh Downs, radio host Casey Kasem, former White House correspondent Helen Thomas, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, actor Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters), actress Della Reese, actor Tom Sizemore, and actress Lily Tomlin. It's a big deal. There is some metered street parking here if you'd like to stop and appreciate "Old Main" and this historical marker. [Review 17961 overall - 357 in Michigan - 1482 of 2022.]

This attraction is pretty much destroyed. It has been around since 2010. I would change the K to an…read moreSH. I looks really bad. If you make it here, you will find the remnants of what use to be the monumental kitty. There is not much to see here. I would recommend passing this place up. It is a shame too. In its hay day, it looked pretty cool and worthy of a quick stop if you were in the area. There has been mentions of rebuilding it, but no solid plans as of yet. If you still want to come here just be aware that the directions may take you on the opposite side of the overpass and you can park and just walk across. How do you know if you are on the wrong side or not you ask. If you are on the side with the baseball field then you are on the wrong side

You have to respect a cat with a nine foot diameter head built of solid brick. Even Shaquille…read moreO'Neal isn't that sturdy. Word on the street is that the Monumental Kitty works just like the Sphinx: if you don't answer his riddle he gets to eat you. During my latest visit to Corktown I visited him every morning, to feed him by incorrectly answering his riddle. But, selfless cat that he is, he let me live. It's an appropriate symbol of Detroit's fighting spirit and civic engagement that such an inspired sculpture took control of the pedestrian overpass even as the old Tiger Stadium across the I-75 got blasted into rubble. Thanks to the vision and technical skill of North Corktown artist Jerome Ferretti, the efforts of neighborhood volunteers, some funding from local businesses, and a very successful Kickstarter campaign, this nine-foot-diameter cat head is as good as nine-foot-diameter cat heads get.

The City of Novi Civic Center was a great event place for the 'We Matter: Our Voice. Our Health…read more Our Future.' The central location and the free parking was a masterful choice. The facility is well equipped, clean and perfect for an event with a 100 attendees. There is handicap parking and building access.

This marker might be a little hard to spot but it's here, pointing out a pivotal moment in…read moreDetroit's technological history. Look along the landscaping on the white wall next to the sidewalk. It reads, "On September 22, 1877, a Bell telephone was installed on this site in the drugstore operated by Frederick Stearns. An iron wire strung along the rooftops connected the store with the Stearns laboratory a half mile away at the foot of Fifth Street. This service, only eighteen months after Alexander Graham Bell patented his invention, was the first to be offered by the organization which eventually developed into the Michigan Bell Telephone Company. A placard in the store window invited the public to drop in every hour on the hour to speak over the amazing new device. Other private lines followed, but it was a year before the first telephone exchange was constructed with fifteen or twenty subscribers on each party line." It is marker number S-303 and it was erected in1972 by Michigan Historical Commission and Wolverine Chapter No. 10, Telephone Pioneers of America. [Review 998 of 2025 - 474 in Michigan - 24552 overall]

The DIS is a beautiful community center remodeled from a old grade school…read more The campus is nestled inside of a residential community on the west side of Detroit. The space is filled with nonprofit businesses offering much needed community resources. There is also a gym space, a renovated swimming pool area, which unfortunately no longer houses a pool, but it is now a cool rental space. There's also a convenience store, a Toarmina's Pizza, a community laundry space and a cool arcade inside. I've visited on a number of occasions as the agency I work for has remote offices in the space, offering various resources for the community. It's also a great place to network and meet other Detroiters. The parking lot is sizable and the building is managed by a great company and is secured with guards, inside and out.

I'd greatly and highly recommend this beautiful facility. It gave me great pride and honor to have…read moreour sister celebration of life ceremony here. I as well as many of my family members, are alumni of Durfee Middle School. What they have done here has preserved a wonderful landmark of our community. It's a blessing to have our former middle school preserved in a positive manner.