The El Moore, a beautifully restored 1898 building that offers long-term and short-term sustainable urban living options, has experienced in its “lifetime” the same experiences of beauty, accessibility, decline, and new and ongoing restoration as one of the “jewels” of Detroit, Belle Isle Park. Both the El Moore and Belle Isle Park are shining examples of sustainability efforts and activities in Detroit. Belle Isle is a recreational island park located on the Detroit River between Detroit, Michigan USA and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. In the mid-1800s, there arose a movement to develop urban parks, and in 1845, the City of Detroit hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead to develop and design Belle Isle. Mr. Olmstead also designed Central Park in New York City, but at approximately … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2016
Why old places matter
We were delighted to welcome Tom Mayes as a guest to the El Moore Lodge this week. Tom is a historic preservationist from Washington, D.C. and is visiting Detroit to speak at the annual Michigan Historic Preservation Network conference, taking place at Wayne State. Tom's talk was called "Why Old Places Matter: Community, Creativity, and Economics," and is based on an extensive series of related blog posts he wrote between 2013 and 2015. Being fond of old places ourselves, we thought we'd share some of Tom's thoughts on the subject. We couldn't agree more when he writes in his introductory post, "The notion that old places matter is not primarily about the past. It is about why old places matter to people today and for the future. It is about why old places are critical to … [Read more...]
Biking Around the El Moore: Fun Times in the Motor City!
The El Moore, a sustainably-renovated urban lodge, apartment complex, and bed & breakfast originally built in 1898, is located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. Yes, Detroit, the car capital of the world for more than a century. But wait! What’s happening on the streets of Detroit? Bike lanes! One hundred fifty miles of NEW bike lanes! Yes, Detroit, car capital of the world, can now also boast that it is now among the fastest-growing bike cities, according to the League of American Bicyclists, logging a 400% increase in bike riding from 2001 - 2014. At the El Moore, many residents and guests do not even own a car, preferring instead to get around our great city using only pedal power. The El Moore has a beautiful covered bike shelter within the gated community that protects the bikes all … [Read more...]
“Rooftop Retreat” in Hour Detroit
We're so grateful to have received a terrific write-up in Hour Detroit last week! Steve Wilke, the article's author and editor of Hour, stayed with us a few times in the course of writing the article, and his attention to detail shows. We think he did a great job capturing the breadth and spirit of the project. The beautiful accompanying photos are by our friend Marvin Shaouni. Pick up the magazine's current issue to take a look or check out the web version here. … [Read more...]