Black Bottom Street View exhibit returns to Bert’s Warehouse in Detroit

Area residents view the Black Bottom Street View exhibit at Dequindre Cut Greenway on Detroit's lower east side. | Ken Coleman

The acclaimed “Black Bottom Street View” exhibit returns this summer in Detroit.

It will be available for public view at Bert’s Warehouse in the city’s Eastern Market district beginning Saturday through July 28, according to Marcia Black of Black Bottom Archives, a nonprofit that is repository for the history of the noted largely African-American community that was razed by city government during the 1950s under the auspices of urban renewal.

Black said the i mmersive panoramic exhibit offers a “ unique glimpse into the vibrant life of Black Bottom before its demolition.” It reconstructs 20 blocks of the historic community using over 2,000 archival photographs taken between 1949 and 1950 from the Detroit Public Library Burton Historical Collection.

“Visitors can walk the historic streets, listen to oral histories, and remember the neighborhood as it once stood,” Black said.

Black told the Advance that the exhibit is free and open to the public. Bert’s Warehouse is located at 2727 Russell Street in Detroit  The exhibit will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The grand opening celebration will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

“Prior to its demolition, Black Bottom was a significant hub for Detroit’s Black community,” Black said. “It encompassed approximately 40 square blocks on the city’s east side, bordered by Gratiot Avenue to the north, Brush Street to the west, and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad tracks to the south and east. Despite it being labeled a ‘slum’ by city leaders such as Mayor [Albert] Cobo, Black Bottom is remembered as a thriving neighborhood, cultural hub, and home to numerous Black-owned businesses despite the challenges of segregation and poverty.”

The exhibit has been seen previously at the Detroit Public Library main branch and the Dequindre Cut Greenway.

“The Black Bottom Street View Exhibit is not just an exhibit; it’s a living, breathing tribute to a neighborhood that was the heartbeat of Detroit’s Black community,” said Emily Kutil, the exhibit’s curator.

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