This fall, Detroit officials will push to add the Bagley-West Vernor business strip to the National Register of Historic Places. The bid marks a milestone – the first federal recognition of the area’s rich Latino roots.
The proposed district stretches across Bagley Street and West Vernor Highway from 16th to Ferdinand Street. A public meeting was held at 4 p.m. September 5 at Mexicantown Community Development Corporation.
“Our approach is quite different and the first of its kind for the community, in terms of really looking at the history of these buildings from the perspective of the Latinx community,” said Lisa DiChiera, deputy Director of the Detroit Historic Designation Advisory Board, according to The Detroit News.
The streets buzz with well-known restaurants like Mexican Village and Xochimilco. Small shops dot the area – Honey Bee Market stocks fresh produce while La Gloria’s ovens pump out sweet bread daily. These spots make up the heart of the business strip.
Mexican families put down roots on West Vernor in the 1920s. Within a decade, they built a tight-knit community in what would become Mexicantown. Before them, waves of European newcomers – Germans, Hungarians, Poles, and Romanians – called these blocks home.
While owners would keep their right to change properties under federal status, the label opens doors to tax breaks and grant money. This news sparked joy for Suzy Garza-Villarreal, who runs Tamaleria Nuevo Leon, started by her mother back in ’57.
“The only kind of advertising we ever do is word of mouth. We got customers whose abuelos (grandparents) came here,” Garza-Villarreal said.
The city boasts many official histoic sites, including 233 buildings, 61 districts, and 7 structures that are on the national list already. Next up: Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Review board meets September 22 in Lansing. Their thumbs-up sends the bid to the National Parks Service for the final word.
DiChiera thinks it’ll take half a year to wrap up. This new status would add to southwest Detroit’s historic sites, which until now mostly tell the story of Eastern European settlers.
