Historic Designation Advisory Board

06/01/2026

This upcoming weekend is the 5th annual Camp Ward Juneteenth Celebration!

05/21/2026

The Detroit Association of Women's Clubs, Inc has been named as one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust. This year, the list focuses on places that center around the principle that all people are created equal. Additionally, the club will receive a $25,000 grant from the National Trust! Congratulations!

05/20/2026

The Historic Designation Advisory Board will hold its fifth regular meeting of 2026 on Thursday, May 21!

HDAB board members will discuss a position on four historic school buildings now slated for closure and demolition by Detroit Public Schools Community District.

The meeting will take place in the Wayne County Judicial Conference Room, Room 705, on the 7th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. It will also be shared virtually via Teams. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend!

Event Details:
📅 Thursday, May 21, at 4 PM
📍 | Coleman A. Young Municipal Center| 2 Woodward Ave | Detroit, MI 48226
🚡 or 🚌 Larned & Woodward Stop

Virtual meeting link available on HDAB’s website, here: https://detroitmi.gov/government/boards/historic-designation-advisory-board.

caymc historicdistricts detroithistory

05/13/2026

https://www.miplace.org/historic-preservation/

The Michigan State Historic Preservation Office is taking comments on the draft of the Statewide Historic Preservation Plan! Make sure your voice is heard! Comments are being taken until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026.

Direct link to online comment form: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019d7797f7927c9897517361906be484

In accordance with MEDC and State of Michigan policy, SHPO staff continue to work remotely. General inquiries can be sent to [email protected].

04/24/2026

On Saturday, April 11, Historic Designation Advisory Board staff and board members attended the first secondary street sign unveiling ceremony of 2026! The corner of Pembroke and Mansfield Streets has now been ceremoniously named Viola Liuzzo Boulevard.

HDAB Historic Planner Janice Tillmon coordinates Detroit City Council’s secondary street sign program. Secondary street signs honor notable Detroiters and their contributions to the city. Viola Liuzzo, a martyred Civil Rights activist, lived near where her street sign now stands. Her 1965 funeral was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, now Pembroke Academy, at the northeast corner of Pembroke and Mansfield.

The Saturday morning crowd rose to over 200 attendees. Attendees included Liuzzo family members, school students, community residents, dignitaries and historians. Speakers included Mayor Mary Sheffield; Council Member Angela Whitfield-Calloway; Pembroke Academy Principal Salwa Kinsey; HDAB Director Janese Chapman; Dr. Carolyn Carter, HDAB Board Chair; Jocelyn Benson, Michigan Secretary of State; Regina Weiss, State Representative for District 5; Contessa Rudolph, Pembroke Academy School Board President; Shanese Ross-Pierre, Director of Educational Partnerships & Pathways, CMU; Jamon Jordan, City Historian; and Amber Mitchell, Curator of Black History at The Henry Ford.

Pictured here, standing below the new street sign, are (from left to right) HDAB Historic Planner Janice Tillmon, Board Chair Dr. Carolyn Carter, board members Sharon Sexton and Calvin Jackson, and HDAB Director Janese Chapman.

Our team was honored to attend this ceremony and help honor a Civil Rights icon!

04/07/2026

The Historic Designation Advisory Board will hold its fourth regular meeting of 2026 on Thursday, April 9.

This month, HDAB is honored to welcome Ryan Schumacher, State Historic Preservation Officer from the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office! Ryan will share updates about the ongoing Statewide Historic Preservation plan, which will be used to help guide preservation efforts across the state through 2034.

The meeting will take place in the Committee of the Whole Room, on the 13th floor of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center. It will also be shared virtually via Teams. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend!

Event Details:
📅 Thursday, April 9, at 4 PM
📍 | Coleman A. Young Municipal Center| 2 Woodward Ave | Detroit, MI 48226
🚡 or 🚌 Larned & Woodward Stop

See virtual meeting link in bio !
caymc historicdistricts detroithistory

04/02/2026

The Historic Designation Advisory Board was honored to attend this year’s Michigan in Perspective: Local History Conference, hosted by thr Historical Society of Michigan!

HDAB Historic Planner Ian Tomashik partnered with Community Historian Shatha Najim from the Arab American National Museum to present “Beyond Migration: Arabs and Chaldeans in Metro Detroit.” He shared some of the history our office learned during the first phase of our Arab & Chaldean History Project, now available on HDAB’s special projects webpage!

Several HDAB board and staff members also attended. Pictured are (from left to right) Sharon Sexton, Charles Rivers, Ian Tomashik, Eric Hergenreder, Historic Planner Janice Tillmon, Louis Fisher, and HDAB Board Chair Dr. Carolyn Carter.

Our team enjoyed this wonderful conference and thanks the Historical Society of Michigan for hosting!

03/31/2026

As we close out Women's History Month, we continue to celebrate a few of Detroit City Council's historic women!

A pioneer of Detroit's political ecosystem, Erma Henderson was the first Black woman elected to City Council in 1972. During her tenure, she advocated for racial justice and civil rights. She organized the Michigan Statewide Coalition Against Redlining which resulted in state legislation outlawing redlining practices. She was known for her talents as a leader and coalition builder. In 2011, the 13th floor auditorium of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center was officially dedicated in her name.

Grounded by her social work background, Maryann Mahaffey led a life dedicated to improving social and economic conditions for the most vulnerable. Elected to City Council in 1973, Mahaffey fought for women's rights throughout her service. She filed a lawsuit which established the right for women to run for office using her birth name, enacted an ordinance that explained and prohibited sexual harassment of city employees, and developed the first r**e crisis center within the Detroit Police Department.

Another political leader, Barbara-Rose Collins, was the first Black woman from Michigan elected to Congress (1990). Before her federal service, Collins served as a City Council Member from 1982-1991 and again from 2001-2009. As a Congresswoman in 1996, she was the first to introduce legislation to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday. It would officially become a federal holiday in 2021.

Before serving on City Council, Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson began her career as the Executive Director of the Downtown Detroit YMCA and would rise to the role of Assistant Executive Director of the National YMCA. Additionally, she was the Executive Director for the Detroit branch of the NAACP. Watson began her City Council work in 2003 and where she drafted over 5,000 pieces of legislation. She advocated human and civil rights and was a champion of reparation initiatives.

In a few weeks, Rev. Dr. JoAnn Watson will be recognized with a Secondary Street Sign. The installation will take place on Friday, April 17, 2026, at 2:00 pm at Linwood & Tuxedo.

03/30/2026

Maryann Mahaffey spent more than three decades on the Detroit City Council, including 12 years as Council President. Throughout her career in public service, she became known as a fearless advocate for women’s rights, racial justice, and peace. Mahaffey worked to expand opportunities for women in politics and consistently championed policies that supported Detroit’s working families and most vulnerable residents.

03/30/2026

Learn about Master Plan updates within your district at upcoming meetings this April. Note that only the district mention will be discussed during that meeting.

The Plan Detroit team invites you to join us for district planning workshops where YOUR voice will directly shape our city's future.

Help Plan Detroit’s Tomorrow, Today!

In 2025, the community provided their policy feedback to the Plan Detroit team. Now you are invited to join us for a District Meeting to discuss where in your Council District different policies for development and neighborhood investment will go for years to come.

🗺️ What you'll do: Participate in guided discussions, work with fellow residents, and work directly with city planners to create an updated Future Land Use (“Place Types”) Map

🗣️ What we'll provide: Light refreshments, materials, and a welcoming space for every voice to be heard

Please choose the District meeting where you live or work and register using the QR code, or at www.plandetroit.com