Exploring Fourth Street, Detroit’s smallest neighborhood

Fourth Street has one of the stranger locations of a neighborhood in the city. Tucked away in a little elbow of where the Lodge and I-94 meet, Fourth Street almost looks like it should be in the forest. Trees shield the noise as cars zoom past on the on-ramp to the Lodge at the end of the street, where a peace sign stands tall. An overgrown park holds a massive car statue that’s sat for decades.

It was home to the Fourth Street Fair, a summertime block party (stress the word party), to which Detroit musician Sandy Hopkins reflects,

"Fourth Street Fair was our release from a sometimes stressful year in Detroit. You would see a few thousand people partying their asses off. It was like a huge family reunion; an epic no bounds rock festival that ended with a blazing fireworks show display behind the headliner of the night. Fourth Street Fair kept me here. It hurt badly to see it go. It was a great devastation to the artistic and corridor community."

Fourth Street, which starts at Holden in New Center, has a strong artsy, eclectic, close-knit vibe, with a resident peacock, colorful decorations on the trees and porches, and a giant chess set in a small park. Here’s a tour around this little enclave.

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