The Gentrification of Kerrytown and Fragmentation of Lower Town

Housing prices rose in some parts of Ann Arbor that had traditionally been working class neighborhoods. This occurred in the Old Fourth Ward, a mainstay of the African American community and the traditionally Irish neighborhood, Kerrytown. The gentrification that occurred here caused the displacement of some of the longtime residents. Similarly, just over Broadway Bridge, the University of Michigan was buying property along the oldest streets of Lower Town to make room for accessory units to the medical school. Rows of houses and businesses were demolished, and several homes were moved elsewhere. Some of the parcels were built on, but many were used as parking lots. The result was a fragmentation of the neighborhood streetscape and cohesion, and as in the Old Fourth Ward, a displacement of some of Lower Town's African American community. Though this landscape now feels comparatively empty, the sites are rich with stories.

Thus despite the growth of uphill Ann Arbor and the University's expansion, much of Lower Town remained underdeveloped. Efforts to develop the riverfront stagnated because of the industry that remained there (the coal gasification plant existed until 1955). Even today, two Detroit Edison buildings are still the first welcome over the Broadway Bridge. The buildings are handsome, but the uses are neither conducive to the 20th century recreational riverfront nor reflective of the gateway of the Lower Town neighborhood. A good example of adapting older buildings is found just across the river in the old train station. It is now the restaurant The Gandy Dancer, a beautiful reuse of the train station decorated with old photos of the station during its lifetime, posters of different kinds of trains, and signs marking the exciting destinations that passengers could reach from Ann Arbor.