Campus Martius Park
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View from Campus Martius Park ice rink.
Campus Martius Park is a re-established park in downtown
Detroit,
Michigan. In
1805, Campus Martius (
Latin for Field of Mars) was the focal point of judge
Augustus Woodward's plans to rebuild the city following a disastrous fire earlier that year. It is where the "point of origin" of
Detroit's coordinate system was created. Seven miles north of this point is
7 Mile Road; eight miles—
8 Mile Road and so on. The park is located at the intersection of
Woodward Avenue and
Michigan Avenue, the original park covered several acres and was a major gathering area for citizens. The park was lost in the
1900s as the city's downtown was reconfigured to accommodate increased vehicular traffic.
Hart Plaza, along the riverfront, was designed to replace Campus Martius as a point of importance. But as Hart Plaza is a primarily hard-surfaced area, many residents came to lament the lack of true park space in the city's downtown area. This led to calls to rebuild Campus Martius.
The new Campus Martius Park was dedicated on November 19, 2004. It includes two stages, sculptures, public spaces and a seasonal ice skating rink.
At 1.2 acres (0.5 ha), the park is smaller than its predecessor, as a full restoration of the original would have required the demolition of several buildings. However, the city is currently working to increase the amount of park space in the area by constructing the new Cadillac Square Park immediately to the east of Campus Martius. Cadillac Square Park is scheduled to open in the late summer of 2006.
The park's skating rink is designed to resemble the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City.
External links
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