Harmonie Park Today- a Reflection on What Was and What Will Be

Paradise Valley and Black Bottom was a thriving residential, business, and entertainment district with a densely populated African American constituency in Detroit. Celebrated as a popular destination from the 1920s-1950s, nearly all the buildings, streets, and neighborhoods have been demolished. This erasure, accepted as part of a national Urban Renewal initiative, caused a loss of immense cultural and historical significance to the city and the African American community.  

This talk will reprise the popular Detroit Month of Design event hosted in 2021 with new announcements about completed and proposed new developments in Harmonie Park, including Fixin's Soul Kitchen - owned by NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, who was the first Black mayor of Sacramento; the Music Hall Expansion, designed by Tod Williams + Billie Tsien Architects (TWBTA), which begins this fall; and Harmonie Club, a recently completed historic renovation by Hamilton Anderson Associates, the first to be completed under the stewardship of the Paradise Valley Cultural & Entertainment District. Harmonie Park itself underwent a complete repair and refresh in Spring 2024.  Paradise Valley: Designing a Commemorative Cultural and Entertainment District looks to highlight the past, present, and future of Paradise Valley. Participants will learn about its vibrant history and tragic displacement through visual displays. 

A guided walking tour will explore the Paradise Valley Cultural and Entertainment District, established south of Ford Field in 2015 to honor and revive lost cultural and economic vitality. The tour, led by Hamilton Anderson Associates in collaboration with the Paradise Valley Conservancy, will discuss on-going infill and rehabilitation projects for the district, as well as master planning and programming efforts underway.  

Event Details

September 28 

12 - 2 pm  

Hamilton Anderson Associates  

1435 Randolph Street, Ste. 200, Detroit, MI 48226  

About Hamilton Anderson Associates (HAA)

HAA’s 30-year young, award-winning design practice is diverse in background, education, and professional experience, yet they are united in the belief that their community (its people, parks, and places) deserves thoughtful, contextual design responses. Led by an African American architect, a leader in the community, HAA has solid experience working on projects ranging from small-scale city parks to complex, mixed-use multi-family residential buildings, to regional master plans. They are believers.