TESTIMONIAL RESOLUTION from Detroit City Council
At the March 2016 membership meeting, Council MemberJames Tate presented a Testimonial Resolution from the Detroit City Council to our neighborhood and our neighborhood association. Read the full text of the resolution below, chocked full of many interesting historical tidbits – 🙂
WHEREAS In the early 1910’s, Rosedale Park, located in northwestern Detroit, was a more rural environment filled with farms, woods, country lanes and wide open fields; and
WHEREAS In 1916, the Rosedale Park Land Company purchased a portion of land in Redford Township and subdivided it for development, using the slogan “Out of the Smoke Zone into the Ozone” as a pitch to prompt city residents eager for suburban living to purchase lots; and
WHEREAS On November 15, 1917, Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Barkley and their infant son moved into their new home at 15001 Ashton on the northwest corner of Ashton and Chalfonte to become the first residents of Rosedale Park; and
WHEREAS During World War I, there were about 15 families living in Rosedale Park, during which time Fenkell Avenue was a mud road and Grand River was a narrow strip with one streetcar track. Residents had rural mail delivery (with boxes on Fenkell Avenue), country phones, artesian well water, and no streetlights; and
WHEREAS The Rosedale Park Improvement Association, organized in 1922, addressed the major concern of fire protection for the neighborhood by contracting with the City of Detroit Fired Department for response service on a per-call fee basis. It later tackled the issue of water and sewer services by lobbying for annexation by the City of Detroit, which came to pass in 1926; and
WHEREAS Rosedale Park’s historic designation, which became official on February 19, 2007, was significant because of the community’s varied architectural styles and patterns. Its early development as a twentieth century transportation corridor led to the westward expansion of the City of Detroit’s border; and
WHEREAS Rosedale Park has a strong tradition of yearly community events, including but not limited to its annual Easter Egg Hunt (co-sponsored with North Rosedale Park Civic Association), June Day Celebration, Children’s Holiday Pancake Breakfast, along with individual block club activities; and
WHEREAS The community of Rosedale Park is recognized for its longevity, community pride, solid housing stock, and for being one of the premier neighborhoods in the City of Detroit; NOW THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED That on this 15th day of March, 2016, Councilman James E. Tate, Jr., and the entire Detroit City Council recognizes the community of Rosedale Park and the Rosedale Park Improvement Association for exemplifying the best of Detroit’s past, present, and future.
