DETROIT, June 24, 2022 ~ Tucked In the middle of Detroit’s Palmer Park sits a rustic and unassuming dwelling constructed from bark-covered pine. The 135-year-old structure was built in what was then the rural outskirts of Detroit as a gift from Senator Thomas Palmer to his wife, who longed for a retread from their otherwise busy lives.
VIDEO:
Organizers for the People for Palmer Park overview their efforts to restore, beautify, and revitalize this treasured Detroit recreation center.
The Palmers were indeed busy. Historians consider the couple to be significant contributors to the foundations of the city we know today. Among their accomplishments, the Senator served as the founding president of The Detroit Institute of Arts, offering seed money and land (which the museum now sits on) that helped to create one of the largest publicly owned collections of art in the world.
Beyond, the couple was integral in the founding of the Michigan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, now known as The Michigan Humane Society. They also worked to commission the Michigan Soldiers and Sailors Civil War Monument, which stands as a centerpiece to the modern gathering place we now call Campus Martius Park.
In 1897, the Palmers donated their beloved log cabin and surrounding grounds to the City of Detroit to be used as a park, stipulating that the city must not disrupt the surrounding virgin Michigan woods, where deer still live to this day.
PEOPLE FOR PALMER PARK
LOG CABIN DAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2022 | 1 – 5PM
FREE EVENT | TOURS | HISTORIC REENACTMENTS | ACTIVITIES
PEOPLEFORPALMERPARK.ORG
Much like the city, the park has experienced many challenges. Today however, it is at the center of unprecedented growth.
The historic Palmer Park apartments just south of the park, many of which have sat for years abandoned and in disrepair, are being revitalized and occupied.
A new $18.6 million dollar transit center is being built just north and east of the park, adjacent to Amazon’s new $400 million dollar distribution center.
The nearby Avenue of Fashion, which stretches down Livernois between Six Mile and Eight Mile roads, boasts an all new infrastructure and is bustling with new businesses.
The Detroit Golf Club, positioned just west of Palmer Park, will host the third Rocket Mortgage Classic PGA Tournament this July, bringing tens of thousands of visitors and millions of dollars that are having a substantial impact on this once rural retreat.
At the center of all this is the People for Palmer Park organization, which was created in 2009 after the City announced a planned closure of the park due to budget constraints.
They have since made it their mission to revitalize the park, restoring and reopening the log cabin, clearing miles of impassable trails, planting an orchard, revitalizing the tennis courts, installing bike lanes and park benches, planning annual events, and so much more.
You can experience Palmer Park and the surrounding community this Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at Log Cabin Day. This free event includes tours of the cabin, historic reenactments, activities for the kids, complimentary tastes, and more. Find info at PeopleForPalmerPark.org.
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