Now open ...  

The Park was dedicated on October 22, 2020!

Click here to see more photos from the ceremony.

Click here to see coverage from WXYZ-TV Channel 7 from that evening's newscast.

 

Congresswoman Debbie Dingell

On October 22, 2020 a group of community partners known as  the Fort-Rouge Gateway Partnership (FRoG), along with government officials (Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, State Representative Tyrone Carter, Detroit Deputy Mayor Conrad Mallett and Detroit City Councilwoman Raquel Castaneda-Lopez attended), the Friends of the Rouge (FOTR) and funders, cut the ribbon and opened the new Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park, located at the foot of the Fort Street Bridge, at 12700 Denmark St. in southwest Detroit.

On March 7, 1932, during the Great Depression, auto workers organized a march from Detroit to the Ford Rouge Factory in Dearborn. Known as the Ford Hunger March, the event was one of the most significant events leading to the creation of the United Auto Workers union.

“The historic Fort Street Bridge, central to the march, was decommissioned in 2013, and a new bridge was built in its place,” said Shawn Pomaville-Size, executive director, MotorCities National Heritage Area. “The FRoG partnership has worked to ensure the history of the Hunger March, the significance of the former bridge and its importance to the region is now recognized here at this new Fort Street Bridge Park. It is the culmination of many years of work, and we’re happy to see our new park has become a reality.”

According to Paul Draus, professor of sociology at the University of Michigan – Dearborn and facilitator of the FRoG partnership, the development of the park was “driven by the belief that our shared prosperity was built upon the sacrifice of others – in this case, five unemployed workers who gave their lives in a march for jobs – and the gifts of nature, so often unacknowledged.”

An ancestor of one of the five workers who was killed during the Ford Hunger March, Elana Bussell-Shelef, was one of the people who cut the ribbon to open the park.

A centerpiece of the park is a sculpture called “March On,” funded by the Gordie Howe International Bridge Community Benefit Plan and created by Erik and Israel Nordin of the Detroit Design Center. The sculpture features salvaged parts from the original bridge. The artists' vision is to pay homage to the spirit of the Rouge River and the 1932 Hunger March by evoking the complex interconnection of industry and community, as well as ongoing struggles for environmental justice and social equity.

The park links to major greenway arteries like the Iron Bell Trail, Downriver Linked Greenways - with plans to connect to the Rouge Gateway Trail and to the Lower Rouge River Water Trail. It also holds true to the visionary leadership of the late U-M Dearborn Vice-Chancellor Ed Begale who saw this park and the rebirth of the lower Rouge through the Rouge River Gateway Master Plan as an incredible opportunity for the community.  He left his legacy to continue under the leadership of Dr. Paul Draus, who plans to continue holding the torch into Phase II.

Major funding for the park project came from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, Fred A. and Barbara M. Erb Famil Foundation, Ford Motor Company and the Marathon Petroleum Company.

Additional support came from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Legacy Fund for Design & Access of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, the Dearborn Rotary Foundation, AK Steel, DTE Energy, UAW Local 600, Mike Herceg & Joan Kelley, the Michigan Labor History Society, the Bussell Family, John B. Wilson (In Memory of Gino Stavola), Bridgewater Interiors, Michael & Nancy Darga, and the Walter & May Reuther Fund.

MotorCities National Heritage Area, the University of Michigan-Dearborn, City of Detroit, City of Dearborn, Marathon Petroleum Company, Michigan Department of Transportation, United Auto Workers Local 600, Friends of the Rouge, Friends of the Detroit River, various neighborhood block groups, PEA Inc. and others have collaborated to build this park.

Almost Done ... September, 2020

More Progress ... August, 2020

(After a few months away ...) We're getting closer! June, 2020

Construction Update! February, 2020

Construction Continues! January, 2020

Construction Has Begun! November, 2019

Ground Has Been Broken -- October 9, 2019!

Congresswomen Debbie Dingell and Rashida Tlaib join MotorCities Executive Director Shawn Pomaville-Size and representatives from the Fort-Rouge Gateway Partnership (FRoG) put shovels in the ground at the site of what will soon be the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park in southwest Detroit.

Contact Brian Yopp, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 313.259.3425, with any questions about the park.

Read a Detroit Free Press article about the origins of the park efforts.

Enjoy this video on the plans for the new park space.

Click here to view the preliminary site plan

Motorcities Celebrated the 12^th Annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day 
on Thursday, October 9, 2025

This Year, the Public Joined the Celebration by Enjoying Discounts & Giveaways at 15 Museums around the State

MotorCities National Heritage Area teamed up with Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the co-chairs of the Michigan Legislative Auto Caucus, Senators Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) and Dan Lauwers (R-Brockway Twp.) and Representatives Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton Twp.) and Curtis VanderWall (R-Ludington), to declare Thursday, October 9 as the 12^th annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day throughout the state.

From left to right: MotorCities Board Chair Michael Bauman, MotorCities Board Member Paul Corbett, Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Member Doug Smith, Pontiac Transportation Museum Board Chair Terry Connolly, MotorCities Executive Director Shawn Pomaville-Size, MotorCities Board Vice Chair George Etheridge and MotorCities Director of Communications & Engagement Bob Sadler

For 2025, the public got involved in the celebration of Michigan Auto Heritage Day by visiting any one of 15 museums or attractions around the state offering special discounts or giveaways starting Thursday, October 9 and continuing through Sunday, October 12.

“Michigan Auto Heritage Day began in 2014 and has become an annual opportunity to celebrate the story that can only be told in Michigan, namely how this part of the country put the world on wheels," said Shawn Pomaville-Size, Executive Director of MotorCities. “We’re happy to grow the event this year to include our partner museums and attractions and the public to remember our state literally changed the world.”

Museums participating in Michigan Auto Heritage Day included the following:

Detroit Historical Museum	20% discount on everything in the Museum Store October 9-12
Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores	Free grounds admission
Ford Piquette Plant Museum in Detroit	10% discount on purchases from their museum store
Gilmore Car Museum in Hickory Corners	20% discount on the total purchase from gift store
The Henry Ford in Dearborn	Mention Michigan Auto Heritage Day at the Rouge Factory Tour Oct. 9-11 & receive a Rosie the Riveter key chain
Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester	Buy one, get one free guided house tour using the an online code
Michigan Firehouse Museum in Ypsilanti	$1 discount off admission if you mention Michigan Auto Heritage Day at the door
Michigan Flight Museum in Belleville	Free admission for all guests October 9-12
Michigan Military Technical & Historical Society in Eastpointe	Buy one, get one free admission for October 10-12
Plymouth Historical Museum	Alter Car (made in Plymouth) bookmark giveaway for all guests
Pontiac Transportation Museum	Free admission for all guests October 9-12
R.E. Olds Transportation Museum in Lansing	Free admission for kids 17 and under for October 9-12
Roush Automotive Collection in Livonia	15% off merchandise in the gift shop
Sloan Museum of Discovery in Flint	50% off general admission and 10% off gift shop merchandise October 9-12
Stahls Motor and Music Experience in Chesterfield Township	Free sticker to guests mentioning Michigan Auto Heritage Day

Watch a special message from Governor Whitmer.

See the 2025 Governor's Proclamation and a Resolution from the Michigan Senate.
 

Check out a photo album from the Michigan Auto Heritage Day kickoff event at the Pontiac Transportation Museum!

Here is a souvenir flier you can print and take with you to our partners for a stamp.  

Our 2025 MotorCities' Awards of Excellence Luncheon took place June 4 at the Stellantis Conner Center in Detroit.

To see a photo album from the luncheon, click here.

The winners were announced in the following categories: 

Heritage Tourism -

• Don & Gayle Nicholson of Westland (pictured below, right) for creating and growing the annual Cruisin' Hines event;

Education/Interpretation -

• The Historical Society of Greater Lansing for the I-496 Pave the Way Project;

Revitalization -

• Greg & Kristin Donofrio (pictured above, left) for the Phoenix Mill restoration in Plymouth.

In addition, MotorCities presented its highest honor, the Milestone Award, to Ford Motor Company's Corporate Historian Emeritus Robert Kreipke (pictured at left). For over 25 years, Kreipke has served as a project advisor and board member, helping propel MotorCities to become the nationally–recognized experts on preserving and promoting Michigan’s automotive heritage. In addition, he was Chairman of the Board between 2015 and 2019, steering the organization through successful projects like the launching of our highway promotional signs, the creation of the Fort Street Bridge Interpretive Park in Detroit, and the celebration of MotorCities' 20^th anniversary.

The Stellantis Conner Center is the home of the historic collection of 100 years of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth, DeSoto vehicles, and guests enjoyed the rare opportunity to see these vehicles.

 

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