
Photo: Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Held every Labor Day weekend (first weekend in September) at Hart Plaza, it is one of the largest free jazz festivals in the country, with plenty of performances by local and world-renowned jazz artists.
The Detroit Jazz Festival is an annual music festival held in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is held in downtown Detroit during the weekend of Labor Day. With more than 60 acts performing each year, the Detroit Jazz Festival is the largest free jazz festival in the world. The festival is organized by the nonprofit Detroit Jazz Festival Foundation, and entirely supported by charitable donations, with no admission charge to enter the festival or concerts.
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Campus Martius is the main park of Detroit. Hart Plaza, on the Riverfront, was made to replace Campus Martius, but Hart Plaza is hard-surfaced, so Campus Martius was re-established. The new Campus Martius Park includes two stages, sculptures, public spaces and a seasonal ice skating rink. Cadillac Square Park, immediately to the east of Campus Martius, provides park space. Several skyscrapers surround Campus Martius Park. The more popular of these include: Compuware World Headquarters, which is home to a beautiful lobby and several shops and stores; Cadillac Tower, which will be connected to the Cadillac Centre, which will be built in a similar architectural style as the Guggenheim Museums; and 1001 Woodward, which is the only building in Detroit in the Chicago-style architecture. The park is also home to a few historic monuments, such as Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, which is a Civil War monument first unveiled in 1872, and Bagley Memorial Fountain, which is a monument to 16th governor of Michigan, John J. Bagley, whose will contained $5,000 for the construction of a drinking fountain for the people of Detroit, to have "water cold and pure as the coldest mountain stream." The nearest People Mover station to Campus Martius Park is the Cadillac Center station, at Gratiot Avenue and Library Street.
This Beaux Arts skyscraper was the first building outside of New York City and Chicago to have more than 40 floors. Cadillac Tower was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Comerica Tower
Comerica Tower is the second tallest building in Detroit, after the Renaissance Center, rising 619 ft (189 m). The building was constructed from 1991 to 1993. The building is famous for its postmodern architectural design topped with neo-gothic spires, which makes it blend in with the older buildings in Detroit. Built in 1993, visitors are often surprised to learn of the building's young age.
The building was the tallest in Michigan from its completion in 1928 until the construction of the Renaissance Center's central tower in 1977. It is now the third tallest. Like many of the city's other Roaring Twenties buildings, it has Art Deco influences, including its "H" shape, which allows maximum sunlight into the building, and the sculptural setbacks that cause the upper floors to seem to "erode".
Built in 1929, the building is a bold example of Art Deco architecture, including art moderne designs. At the top of the Guardian Building's spire, is a large American flag, complementing the four smaller flags atop nearby 150 West Jefferson. The Guardian Building's interior is lavishly decorated with mosaic and Pewabic and Rookwood tile. The semi-circular exterior domes are filled with Pewabic Pottery. The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. It was used as headquarters for production during World War II.
The Spirit of Detroit is a city monument with a large bronze statue situated in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, home to Detroit's city hall. It was commissioned in 1955 for a cost of $58,000, and dedicated in 1958. In its left hand, the statue holds a bronze sphere with rays to symbolize God. In its right hand, is a family group symbolizing human relationships. The 26-foot (7.9-m) sculpture is frequently dressed in sports jerseys when local professional teams are in the playoffs. The nearest People Mover station to the monument is the Millender Center Station, which is inside the Millender Center on the 5th floor.