Detroit in the 1920s
Warren Harding took office in 1921, Calvin Coolidge succeeded him in 1923 and Herbert Hoover was elected in 1928. The census of 1920 was the first to count more Americans in towns and cities than on farms. Prohibition was in force and the automobile and the radio spread quickly. The stock market crashed in October 1929. The stops here are what Detroit has on the register from those years, built between 1922 and 1929.
Every stop carries a construction date in the 1920s. The route covers 11 of them and runs 2.1 miles end to end. Of the stops, 2 are National Historic Landmarks.
Distances are straight lines between the coordinates in the National Park Service Register data, so the walk on the street will be longer. Nobody has walked or checked this as a route, and a listing does not mean a place is open to visitors. Stops last changed Sep 18, 2026.
Map
Coordinates come from the National Park Service National Register spatial data, or from Wikidata where the spatial data has no point. The solid line joins the stops in walking order and is not a street route. Listings with a restricted address in the Register are never mapped and never become stops. Data refreshed November 02, 2026.
Walking order
- 1Guardian BuildingNHL500 Griswold St.Building · built 1929 · listed 1989start
- 2Barlum Tower65 Cadillac Sq.Building · built 1927 · listed 20050.1 mi from stop 1
- 3Lawyers Building137 Cadillac Sq.Building · built 1922 · listed 1982308 ft from stop 2
- 4Griswold Building1214 Griswold St.Building · built 1929 · listed 19800.3 mi from stop 3
- 5Detroit–Leland Hotel400 Bagley Ave.Building · built 1927 · listed 20050.3 mi from stop 4
- 6Palms, Francis, Building & State Theater2111 Woodward Ave.Building · built 1925 · listed 19820.3 mi from stop 5
- 7Fox Theater BuildingNHL2111 Woodward Ave.Building · built 1928 · listed 1985310 ft from stop 6
- 8Park Avenue Hotel2643 Park Ave.Building · built 19240.3 mi from stop 7
- 9Detroit Masonic Temple500 Temple Ave.Building · built 1922 · listed 19800.2 mi from stop 8
- 10Architects Building415 Brainard St.Building · built 1924 · listed 19950.3 mi from stop 9
- 11Chapel of St. Theresa–the Little Flower46 ParsonsBuilding · built 1926 · listed 19970.2 mi from stop 10
2.1 straight-line miles over 10 legs.
Taking it along
- Download the route as GPXFor a handheld GPS or a phone app
- Open all 11 stops in Google MapsSet the mode to walking once it opens
- Open the first stop in Apple MapsThe Apple Maps web link carries one destination, so this is stop 1 only
Other walks in Detroit
- Houses and mansions in Detroit12 stops · 1.8 milesThe route links houses built between 1855 and 1885. Many are private homes and the stops are meant to be seen from the sidewalk.
- Churches and temples in Detroit10 stops · 2.4 milesThe route links churches built between 1842 and 1980. Congregations still use many of them and access depends on the hours they keep.
Local history books for Detroit
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Michigan travel guides
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.