Mixed-Use Project to Rise in Motown's Historic Theater District

Detroit-based developer Bedrock has unveiled a 1.5M SF mixed-use development that reimagines Motown’s historic first theater district, formerly known as the Monroe Block, into a residential, retail and office community known as Cadillac Square.

The project will incorporate the façade and a rebuilt interior of the last theater that remains from the Monroe Block theater district—its crown jewel, the historic Detroit National Theatre.

The full Cadillac Square development will include 230,000 SF of residential space, including up to 280 new apartment units; 400K SF of offices; 90K SF of retail space, including a market hall, grocery and restaurants; and 1,800 parking spaces.

The project also will renovate National Theatre into 60K SF of entertainment space. The Theatre, included in the National Register of Historic Places, opened in 1911 as a Vaudeville theater. National Theatre closed its doors for the last time in 1975.

Bedrock said in a statement it intends to incorporate National Theatre’s ornate façade into the larger entranceway of “a modern, world-class entertainment and performance venue” that will be built on the site.

Bedrock bought the largely vacant theater district site in 2016—everything with the exception of the National Theatre was razed in 1990. The developer opened Monroe Street Midway, a temporary outdoor entertainment complex, in 2020.

The project will proceed in three phases, with each phase beginning in 2024, 2026 and 2028, respectively. The development of residential units at Cadillac Square is subject to an affordable housing agreement with the city of Detroit.

Monroe Street Midway will remain open during the first phase of construction of Cadillac Square, Bedrock CEO Kofi Bonner said, in a statement.

“Cadillac Square leverages the potential of a central, yet underutilized footprint to further ignite downtown’s offerings,” said Kofi Bonner, Bedrock CEO. “By enhancing overall access, options and connectivity, we will continue to position Detroit as an energetic city [and create] a vibrant core for today and well into the future.”

City officials in Detroit are considering a proposal to adopt a land-value tax, a measure that would significantly raise taxes on vacant land while giving building owners, including homeowners, a tax break.

Detroit currently calculates property taxes as most US municipalities do it: by making assessments of the value of a property’s land and the buildings on it, charging a fixed percentage each year.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, city officials in Detroit are pushing to switch to a two-tiered system that assesses a land-value tax (LVT)—based solely on the land value of the property—and a separate tax assessment for buildings and homes.

Proponents of the measure say increasing taxes on vacant property will induce owners to develop vacant lots, while decreasing taxes on homes and commercial buildings will push up the values of those properties.