Woodward Avenue (M-1) - Automotive Heritage Trail
Boston Edison Historic District, MI

The Boston-Edison District is one of Detroit's early suburbs. The District comprises numerous large, single residence homes, the great majority built between 1900 and 1925. While eclectic in style, they possess uniformity in roofline, in scale, in setback from the street, and in the use of stone or brick construction as opposed to frame. These characteristics, in combination with the wide tree-lined streets, create an overall ambience of gracious suburban living in a time of slower movement and community interaction.

The construction of Henry Ford Hospital nearby in 1915 accounts for the number of physicians (23) who built homes in the western part of the district. The lack of discriminatory measures against Jewish people enabled Jewish families to build in the area. Henry Ford and Rabbi Leo Franklin, organizer of the United Jewish Charities, are among an impressive number of influential Detroiters who lived in the neighborhood.