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Closed for the season ...  

Click here to see a video featuring Elena Bussell-Shelef, a descendant of one of the men killed at the Ford Hunger March, and learn why this park is so important. 

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.

Ribbon Cutting RESIZED 

Crowd RESIZED

Debbie Dingell RESIZEDCongresswoman 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

Park photo September 2020 1 RESIZED

Park photo September 2020 2 RESIZED

Park photo September 2020 3 RESIZED

Park photo September 2020 4 RESIZED

More Progress ... August, 2020

August 2020 sculpture with crane

August 2020 sculpture installation

August 2020 stairway

August 2020 reader walls

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

Fort Street Bridge Park construction 1 June 2020

Fort Street Bridge Park construction 2 June 2020

Fort Street Bridge Park construction 3 June 2020

Fort Street Bridge Park construction 4 June 2020

Fort Street Bridge Park construction 5 June 2020


Construction Update! February, 2020

February 2020 photo 2

Construction Continues! January, 2020

2

Construction Has Begun! November, 2019

Worker RESIZED

Ground Has Been Broken -- October 9, 2019!

FROG group shovels in the groundCongresswomen 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

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Our 11th annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day - Wednesday, October 23, 2024. 

MotorCities National Heritage Area teamed up with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist 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 Wednesday, October 23 as the 11th annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day throughout the state.

“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. “Our state has the largest concentration of auto-related sites, attractions and events in the world, attracting millions of visitors each year.”

MotorCities, established in 1998, is a nonprofit corporation that is part of the National Heritage Area System of the National Park Service that serves 16 counties representing a population of over 6.5 million. Its mission is to preserve, interpret and promote the region’s rich automotive and labor heritage. Regional programs inspire residents and visitors with an appreciation for how the automobile changed Michigan, the nation, and the world.

Headquartered in Detroit, MotorCities is the state’s only National Heritage Area and generates $489.7 million each year in economic impact, supporting 5,343 jobs and producing $40 million in tax revenue in Michigan. Over its 26-year history, MotorCities has awarded more than 300 grants for a total investment in local programs of more than $1.6 million.

Watch a video message from Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist here.

See the 2024 Governor's Proclamation and a Tribute from the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives. 

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The MotorCities National Heritage Area Awards of Excellence recognize organizations and individuals who have delivered oustanding projects in the areas of auto or labor heritage tourism, education/interpretation and revitalization.  

  1. The nomination must be for an outstanding person, event or project in one of three areas of education, tourism or revitalization. The project must have taken place within the boundaries of the MotorCities National Heritage Area in Michigan.  If nominating an individual, they must be connected to a project in the heritage area.
  2. Nominations must be submitted using the forms and format provided. Please submit the materials electronically. No paper submissions will be accepted.
  3. Nominations will be judged on quality, not volume. Tell the story of your project! Do not assume that jurors are already familiar with your nominee.
  4. You are asked for the address of the nominee/project.  This is to confirm that the project is within the MotorCities Heritage Area.  The address will also advise on your current state senator and representative, so that they can be invited to the ceremony to recognize the nominee.
  5. Include at least one photograph  depicting the place or person you are nominating,  If your nomination is a revitalization project, include both “before and after” photos. There is an option for one additional support item. If you would like to submit multiple items, they should be combined into one PDF file (max 10MB).
  6. Self-nominations are acceptable.
  7. If selected, the nominee must be available to receive the award as part of an awards presentation on June 4 at the Stellantis Conner Center at 11:30 AM.  A finalist + guest will receive complimentary tickets.  Others will be able to purchase a ticket to attend.
  8. Nominations are open to ALL projects spanning the last 3 years.
  9. Deadline for nominations is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 9, 2025.

 

April 1   Nominations Open
May 9   Nominations Close
May 21 Finalists Announced
June 4  Awards Ceremony

 

BEGIN YOUR NOMINATION HERE

 

 

Our 2023 Awards of Excellence Recepients: 

In the Heritage Tourism category,:

  • Lloyd & Judy Ganton, the operators of Ye Ole Carriage Shop in Spring Arbor

In the Interpretation/Education category:

  • The Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn for their Achievement series of exhibits about African Americans in the automotive industry.

In the Revitalization category:

  • The Ford Piquette Plant Museum in Detroit for their first floor restoration;

Bill ChapinAlso, the recipient of MotorCities Milestone Award, was William R. "Bill" Chapin (pictured). Some Michigan natives can say that the auto industry is in their blood, but for Bill Chapin there is no denying the lineage from his Grandfather Roy Chapin Sr. (a co-founder of the Hudson Motor Co.), his father Roy Chapin Jr. (past CEO of American Motors) to forgin g his own legacy, mostly in automotive marketing. Bill was just finishing up work on the launch of the "Motor City" exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum in the mid-1990s when he realized that the stories told there were relevant to today. Namely, the stories of industry leaders and rank and file workers were all there to inspire generations to come. Around the same time, he became aware of the efforts to create a National Heritage Area centered on the automotive and labor history of the region. Chapin was there when the bill was signed by President Clinton in 1998. He signed the articles of incorporation, served as board chair and continues as a member of MotorCities' Leadership Council. Finally, between 2010 and 2017, Chapin served as President of the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn.

 

 

 

 

 

MotorCities NHA MEDIA LIBRARY MotorCities Logo

2023 Sponsorship Levels

Visionary-$10,000 

This sponsorship package includes:

Your Company/Organization's Ad in all 52 weekly issues of our weekly e-newsletter, "You Auto Know"
Exclusive Company/Organization Feature as a Story of the Week in an issue of our weekly e-newsletter (Over 5,000 distribution)
Half page ad in both our printed and online Passport booklet (7,500 distribution)
Half page ad in both our printed and online MotorCities tri-fold brochure (10,000 distribution)
Quarterly spotlight posts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, with over 18,000 unique followers 
Your Company/Organization's Ad in 4 of our "MotorCities On The Road" Webinars
Recognition at our annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day and Awards of Excellence
Company logo and link on our website
Acknowledgment in press releases
Company name in our annual report

Champion- $7,500

This spsonsorship package includes:

Half page ad in both our printed and online Passport booklet (7,500 distribution)
Half page ad in both our printed and online MotorCities tri-fold brochure (10,000 distribution)
Quarterly spotlight posts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, with over 18,000 unique followers 
Your Company/Organization's Ad in 4 of our "MotorCities On The Road" Webinars
Recognition at our annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day and Awards of Excellence
Company logo and link on our website
Acknowledgment in press releases
Company name in our annual report

Racer- $5,000

This sponsorship package includes:

Quarter page ad in both our printed and online Passport booklet (7,500 distribution)
Quarter page ad in both our printed and online MotorCities tri-fold brochure (10,000 distribution)
Quarterly spotlight posts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, with over 18,000 unique followers 
Your Company/Organization's Ad in 4 of our "MotorCities On The Road" Webinars
Recognition at our annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day and Awards of Excellence
Company logo and link on our website
Acknowledgment in press releases
Company name in our annual report

Marathon - $2,500

This sponsorship pacakge includes:

Quarterly spotlight posts on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, with over 18,000 unique followers 
Your Company/Organization's Ad in 4 of our "MotorCities On The Road" Webinars
Recognition at our annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day and Awards of Excellence
Company logo and link on our website
Acknowledgment in press releases
Company name in our annual report

Rally - $1,000

This sponsorship package includes:

Recognition at our annual Michigan Auto Heritage Day and Awards of Excellence
Company logo and link on our website
Acknowledgment in press releases
Company name in our annual report

Click here for a list of our 2022 sponsors.

CLICK HERE TO BECOME A SPONSOR TODAY!

 

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes MotorCities National Heritage Area Partnership, Inc. as a Section 501(c)(3) public charity. Gifts tax deductible in the U.S.A. Our Federal Tax ID # is 38-3489636