Corktown has a little bit of everything and everyone. New and longtime residents of this historic area just southwest of the heart of the city boast that their neighborhood has the perfect combination of urban amenities and close-knit community spirit.
Not only does Corktown have some of the city’s best restaurants, bars, clubs and art galleries — inspiring descriptions like “hip” and “cool” — but it also has streets of gorgeously restored historic homes — inspiring descriptions like “quaint” and “charming.” It’s the kind of place where you can go to a home and garden tour by day and an art gallery opening and dance club by night.
Corktown’s a neighborhood and a destination, somewhere scenesters go to be seen, suburbanites come to experience the city and where neighbors exchange remodeling tips over the backyard fence.
Population and location
The city’s oldest neighborhood, founded in 1834 by Irish immigrants, has had its challenges, yet through it all Corktown has remained one of Detroit’s most stable neighborhoods.
When the Tigers left the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in 1999, many feared it would mean the end for this neighborhood. But loyalty, community pride and tradition persevered. “That sense of neighborhood pride saved Corktown when we were at a point of losing a lot of our housing” says Kelli Kavanaugh, a longtime community activist who has lived in Corktown for several years.
Many people — now the third or fourth generations of the area’s Irish and Maltese immigrants — live in the homes they grew up in or have stuck around in the neighborhood, says Jim Brunell, a resident who lives half a block away from his dad. “People know each other. When I get out of my car coming home, before I get to my door I have five people honking and waving. Folks around here know each other.”
But the neighborhood is not so insular that newcomers are shut out. Corktown is very welcoming of all types of people, Kavanaugh says. It’s also one of the city’s most racially diverse city neighborhoods, with a nearly equal mix of black, white and Hispanic residents.
“There’s racial diversity, but it’s also a diversity of age, family units, professions and income,” Kavanaugh says, adding that on one block you could find renters next to third-generation home owners and hipsters next to young families.
Developer Mark Wilcox says that “inherent diversity” is what makes Corktown so attractive. Wilcox’s Grinnell Place Lofts in a converted piano warehouse have attracted a diverse array of residents, he says, lawyers, bankers, athletes and empty nesters.
“Corktown has such a great feel and neighborhood community,” Wilcox says. It’s a wonderful feeling, he says, “to be connected to where you live.”
Where to live
Corktown’s housing stock is as diverse as its population. Narrow houses in vibrant colors line quaint streets; old brick retail buildings have storefronts below and apartments up top; newly renovated lofts offer fantastic skyline views and upscale amenities; and newly constructed houses fill in the gaps, designed to carry on the historic feel. Lot sizes are mostly moderate to small.
Prices range greatly. You cold pay more than $300,000 for a huge loft or upwards of $200,000 for a Victorian home in the historic district. At Sixth Street Lofts, 6,000 square feet of luxury would cost you upwards of $350,000; or you could pay $50,000 or less for a lot with a structure that needs a lot of rehab in North Corktown. There are also many affordable and mid-range lofts, homes, condos and apartments throughout the neighborhood, for purchase or rent. Lofts less than 1,000 square feet start around $125,000. Rents start around $600 a month for a less than 1,000-square-foot space.
In addition, many homes in Corktown qualify for a NEZ, or a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone, credit, which significantly cuts property tax bills for six to 15 years.
In addition to beautiful old homes, there is a fair amount of new construction in the area, too. Sixth Street Lofts offers unique, urban spaces that look straight out of Dwell magazine, many with jaw-dropping views of the city. The 36 units of Grinnell Place Lofts are in a historic 1921 piano warehouse and offer dramatic ceilings, expansive windows, indoor parking and balconies. And Wilcox is putting about three-dozen more loft units into the Roosevelt Hotel at 14th Street near Michigan Avenue. Prices will start around $120,000.
In addition, the historic district has added 21 townhouses and six single-family homes since 1998, Kavanaugh says, and more are planned. Look to North Corktown for even more new housing. The area is undergoing revitalization with a $4 million project to build 30 brand new homes, thanks to a Greater Corktown Development Corp. initiative. The first new residents have already moved in. Neighborhood leaders expect these new houses to spur market-rate housing and rehabilitation of older homes in the area.
Buyers looking to get into one of the old Victorian homes in the historic district should enlist the help of someone who really knows the area, residents say. “If you really want to be targeted in your house hunt, you have to be patient. If it’s like, ‘I want to buy a big historic house,’ it’s not that easy to land one in a month,” Kavanaugh says.
The Greater Corktown Development Corp. has a variety of resources to help house and apartment hunters, including its newsletter, the Corktown Connection. Model D also lists a variety of places to live, including lofts, condos and apartments. The classified ads in the Monitor, a Detroit free weekly, are also good to check.
Ryan Cooley of O’Connor Realty and Development on Michigan Avenue says it can be tricky to access the housing market in Corktown, because many properties often change hands person-to-person. He recommends using a neighborhood real estate office, where people have roots and contacts in the community.
Livability
In addition to its diversity, stability and history, location is another reason Corktown is so desirable. From Corktown, you can get to Eastern Market and Midtown in a few minutes, to Mexicantown and Downtown in less than five. Plus, the Lodge, I-75 and I-96 are all right there, meaning the ’burbs are just 15 minutes away.
“You can walk to your job downtown,” Kavanaugh says. “You’re close to Wayne State. You’re close to all the downtown amenities, but you’re in a traditional neighborhood.”
Voted the city’s most walkable neighborhood by Metro Times readers in 2002, Corktown is home to a thriving bar scene, from local faves like L.J.’s to nationally renowned spots like Nemo’s (voted the country’s third best sports bar by Sports Illustrated). And great restaurants — including Slows Bar BQ and Eph McNally’s — abound. The area is also a haven for creative types, attracting artists, musicians and writers, and galleries like Izzy’s Raw Art and Zeitgeist host cutting-edge shows.
There is not an overwhelming amount of retail, but the locals have their favorite haunts. For groceries, Honey Bee Market in nearby Mexicantown has a spectacular meat counter, produce department and a variety of sundries. Hardware, lumber and other home supplies are available at the century-old Brooks Lumber, where the staff is more than pleased to share advice with patrons. And John K. King Books is a legend among literary types. For other essentials, Eastern Market is just a few minutes drive away.
Residents say one of Corktown’s strengths is its proximity to some of the city’s premier public schools, including Burton International (Pre-K through 8), and Cass Tech High School, both magnet schools. Burton students get high scores on state MEAP tests, often above state average, and the school earned an A on the state’s report card. Cass, with a strong science and arts curriculum, also boasts high MEAP scores, and 95 percent of its graduates going on to college. Cass moved into a brand new building in 2005. Two other public schools, Owen Elementary and Pelham Middle, are also among the city’s best performers on state tests. Many residents also send their kids to the private Most Holy Trinity Catholic Elementary School.
Corktown’s crime rates are among the city’s lowest, Kavanaugh says, and neighbors have a good relationship with the local community relations officers.
The neighborhood has organized a Neighborhood Watch program, which Brunell says is just a formal way of extending what they’ve always done — look out for each other. “If a car alarm goes off around here, people look. Phones start ringing,” he says.
The crime, especially in North Corktown, has lessened over time, too, he says. “Fifteen years ago, this was not a very desirable neighborhood,” he says of his part of North Corktown. “We basically came to the conclusion that we’re not leaving, they are. The troublemakers, the gang-bangers, they’re gone now.”
A fierce sense of loyalty and pride is common among Corktown dwellers. Brunell says that’s in part because most people there, whether they have deep family roots or are newcomers, have spent a good deal of money and elbow grease restoring and refining their homes.
“We are very unique and very different here,” he says. “We are proud and defend Corktown, and rightfully so.”
Residents say Corktown is a close-knit community, but extremely welcoming. Just sit at the bar at L.J.’s or Slows on any given night, and you can make 10 new friends. And when you move in, says Cooley, who owns a home in the historic district, the welcome wagon is right there. “We’ve only been there for a year, and I feel like we almost know everyone in the neighborhood,” he says.
For more information about Corktown visit the Model D
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Visiting Guide-
Investing Guide
Sixth Street Lofts
Corktown Neighborhood Street and Sign
Grinnell Place Lofts
O'Connor Real Estate and Development on Michigan Avenue
Honey Bee Market
Homes on Leverette
All Photographs Copyright Dave Krieger