MotorCities - uncategorised

Find Your Road Trip
Browse destinations, activities or interests to plan your automotive heritage trip! With arts and entertainment, parks, gardens, cemeteries, libraries, archives, museums, historic homes, motor sports and roadside auto culture, there is truly something for everyone. Pick your places, pack up the car, put the pedal to the metal and explore the MotorCities!

If you're in Detroit for business, pleasure or a special event, there are incredible historic sites that tell the story of the automotive industry and labor movement. There are a number of places within walking distance, by hopping on the Detroit People Mover or by taking a short drive:

Hart Plaza

1 Hart Plaza

Hart Plaza is an outdoor, urban recreation area on the Detroit River Front featuring the iconic ‘Transcending’ monument dedicated to the labor movement and strength of the men and women who built Detroit.

Renaissance Center RESIZED

General Motors Renaissance Center

400 Renaissance Center

The Renaissance Center complex is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in downtown Detroit that serves as the global headquarters for General Motors.

Detroit Historical Museum Americas Motor City exhibit America's Motor City exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum

Detroit Historical Museum

5401 Woodward Ave

Located in Detroit's bustling Cultural Center, the Detroit Historical Museum is one of America's oldest museum sites showcasing the Motor City's rich automotive and local history. The museum has regular hours open the public in addition to special events.

Diego Rivera Murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts

5200 Woodward Ave.

The Diego Rivera murals (pictured at the top of this page) at the Detroit Institute of Arts is a powerful interpretation of the area's auto and labor history completed using 27 fresco panels between 1932-1933. In 2014, the murals were given National Landmark status. Take in the famed work along with other incredible displays at the DIA during regular museum hours.

Detroit Public Library

5201 Woodward Ave.

The Detroit Public Library is home to the National Automotive History Collection, which features nearly 40,000 images commemorating automotive heritage. The digitized special collection features photographs of automobiles, industry leaders, races, reliability tours, auto shows, factories, roads, highways, gas stations, repair shops, etc.

Ford Piquette Avenue Plant/Milwaukee Junction

461 Piquette Ave.

The Ford Piquette Avenue Plant serves as one of the historical footings for the Ford empire as Henry Ford's Model T was born in the restored building at the corner of Beaubien and Piquette in downtown Detroit. Surrounding the Piquette Plant, a bustling automotive community formed in the area called Milwaukee Junction. Many early auto manufacturers built factories within Milwaukee Junction such as Fisher Body, Cadillac, Studebaker, Packard, Regal, Dodge and others.

Fisher Building

3011 W. Grand Blvd.

Built just before the Great Depression and financed by the Fisher family, Detroit’s Fisher Building stands as an ornate and grand landmark from the heyday of the automotive industry. The Fisher Brothers started as carriage builders in 1908 before turning toward manufacturing parts for early automobiles. The family eventually sold the business to General Motors and used funds from the sale to finance construction of the building.

Boston Edison Historic District

Between Linwood and Woodward, east/west; and between Boston and Edison, north/south

The Boston Edison neighborhood once served as home to Detroit’s power brokers such as Henry Ford, the Fisher family, James Couzens, Walter P. Reuther and Joe Louis. Take self-guided tour of one of the Detroit’s most famed and historic neighborhoods by visiting the website: historicbostonedison.org.

Beyond Detroit

For more sites that commemorate Michigan's rich and unique automotive heritage, click here take a look at the MotorCities interactive map.

OVERVIEW

MotorCities National Heritage Area is excited to launch its new mini-grant program for 2019. The program looks to award up to 10 grants with a max value of $1,500 each in this first year. Though the mini-grants are smaller awards than our traditional challenge grant program, they present an opportunity for greater impact to projects and communities across the region.

Grants are intended for short-term, high impact projects that need that extra little bit to move from concept to reality. Examples of mini-grants might include tours, field trips, conferences, lectures, planning and studies. If you have an idea please do not hesitate to reach out to see if it qualifies.

The grant window is from 1/14/19 - 3/15/19 at 11:59 PM EST. Grant awards will be announced by 4/1/19.

GUIDELINES

Grant applicants must be current members of MotorCities National Heritage Area and maintain that membership throughout the entirety of their proposed project.
The MotorCities grant award will not exceed $1500.
Mini-grants DO NOT REQUIRE A MATCH however projects which exhibit match and additional leveraging will receive preference based on the feasibility of completion.
Once awarded, recipients will receive 50% of the award with signed grant agreement. The remaining 50% will be remitted upon completion of project and submission of necessary closeout reports.
Grant cannot be awarded for any for-profit ventures, fundraising, lobbying, general promotion or advertising.
Projects must be largely automobile and/or labor heritage related and must deal with: Revitalization of our historic automotive and labor structures through preservation, Interpretation efforts which attempt to tell the story to a broad audience, Education activities which engage a specific audience and creates increased appreciation of our heritage and Tourism projects which promote the region and its heritage activities.
Tourism is the special strategic focus of MotorCities National Heritage Area for 2019. Projects related to tour development will receive preference.
There will be a maximum of 10 mini-grants awarded for 2019.
Your progress can be saved at any time with a link sent to you. Just click the "Save Answers and Resume Later" link at the bottom of the page.

For more information, contact the MotorCities Challenge Grant Program Coordinator: Brian Yopp at 313-259-3425 x 307 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Applications are due March 15, 2019 by 11:59 PM EST.

Projects submitted within this cycle must have a completion timeline of September 30, 2019 or sooner.

CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR MINI-GRANT APPLICATION