S P R I N G 2 0 2 2 | WAT E R WAY W O N D E R
The Detroit Riverwalk has transformed a 3-mile route into an outdoor lover’s delight By Mark Spezia
A
t times, the view from his 17th-floor Renaissance Center office leaves Detroit Riverfront Conservancy President and CEO Mark Wallace awestruck. From his perch above the city, he can take in the remarkable transformation of Detroit’s amazing riverfront, which his organization has made possible since its founding in 2003. What was once perceived as an in72
dustrial wasteland is now home to the Detroit Riverwalk, which began with the construction of the half-mile path that stretches from the Renaissance Center to Cullen Plaza. The east riverfront stretches more than 3 miles from the site of the former Joe Louis Arena to Gabriel Richard Park, just past the historic Douglas MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle State Park. The 3.5-mile vision for the east riverfront will be complete this fall with the extension of
the Riverwalk along the former Uniroyal property. Bustling with activity, the Riverwalk provides users easy access not only to the Detroit River waterway, with its Windsor skyline views, but it’s linked to numerous Detroit gems such as Hart Plaza, General Motors Plaza, Cullen Plaza, Milliken State Park, the Aretha Franklin Amphitheater, the Dequindre Cut Greenway, and Robert C. Valade, Mount Elliott, and Gabriel
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DETROIT RIVERFRONT CONSERVANCY
More Expansions On Tap
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