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Campus Martius Park is located at the intersection of Woodward and Michigan Avenues in downtown Detroit, Michigan.
History
Campus Martius was originally a military training ground developed in 1788. After a fire leveled most of Detroit on June 11, 1805, the park became a focal point in Augustus Woodward’s plan to rebuild the city. It was a major gathering area until the city was reconfigured to accommodate vehicular traffic in the 1900s.
On November 19, 2004, Campus Martius Park was rededicated. It contains performance stages offers seasonal activities. In winter, it features an ice skating rink modeled after that of Rockefeller Center in New York City as well as a large Christmas tree.
Monument
On the south end of the park is the Michigan Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument. It was sculpted in 1867 to honor Michigan’s Civil War dead, and unveiled on April 9, 1872. Generals George Armstrong Custer, Ambrose Burnside, and Philip Sheridan were present on that day. The monument was rededicated in 2005 and updated to include all Michigan soldiers killed up to April 2005.
It’s topped with a statue of Michigania, or Victory, ready for battle brandishing a sword and shield. Bas-relief plaques of Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and David Farragut are flanked by male statues depicting the Navy, Infantry, Calvary, and Artillery branches of the United States Army. Statues representing Victory, History, Emancipation, and Union were added in 1881.
Other Features
On the west side of the park is Parc, a contemporary restaurant. To the north is One Campus Martius, which was completed in 2003. It contains Compuware’s world headquarters along with retail and office space and restaurants.
Cadillac Square
Cadillac Square is another park just to the east of Campus Martius. From 1841 to 1891, it was the site of the Detroit Farmer’s Market. From the 1960s until 2001, a bus transfer station stood there. Nowadays it hosts food trucks, markets, and other events.
The Bagley Memorial Fountain, which was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson in 1887, is also at Cadillac Square. The fountain originally stood at the corner of Woodward and Fort and relocated to Campus Martius in 1926. It was disassembled in 2000 and installed at its current location in 2007.
Wayne County Building
Finally, at the east end of Cadillac Square is the Wayne County Building. It was built between 1897 and 1902 and once held the offices and courthouse for Wayne County.
Above the entrance is a pediment of General Anthony Wayne sculpted by Edward Wagner. The two quadrigas, Victory and Progress, were sculpted by J. Massey Rhind in 1903. The county offices moved to the Guardian Building in 2007.
