East Dearborn Downtown grew up as the six-mile stop on the road from Detroit to Chicago in the 1800s. From the early to mid-1900s, it grew from being Downtown Springwells
(consolidated with Dearborn in 1929) to a regional-scale commercial center.
Since the turn of the 20th Century, waves of immigration have given Dearborn a vibrant tapestry of people, cultures and flavors. Experience them in East Downtown along a mile stretch of Michigan and Schaefer, from the district’s dozens of diverse restaurants and shops to each summer’s free Jazz on the Ave concert series in City Hall Park!
The rich architecture of East Downtown’s long-gone department stores and movie theater is becoming home to new businesses opening to serve growing nearby neighborhoods, including the old Springwells City Hall, which also served as the Dearborn City Hall campus. The complex has been transformed into City Hall Artspace Lofts, an artist community featuring 50+ live-work units. The Artspace development is serving as a catalyst to reinvigorate the area, as witnessed across the country, and reinforce the arts and culture vision for the district. Visit these helpful links for more information: