Cadillac Square

01 / The story of this place

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Cadillac Square began as Michigan Grand Avenue in Judge Augustus Woodward's 1807 rebuilding plan for Detroit after the 1805 fire, and by 1835 it held the city's first City Hall, whose ground floor doubled as a meat market. From 1841 to 1891 it was home to Detroit's Central Market, and after the market moved out the square became the city's civic stage: the 1891 national encampment of Union Civil War veterans filled it, and its Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument still honors them. Named for the city's French founder, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, the square sits beside Campus Martius Park in the heart of downtown. Today it hosts the relocated Bagley Memorial Fountain, seasonal gardens, food-truck rallies and markets, and remains one of downtown Detroit's most used public gathering spaces.

1. Laid out as Michigan Grand Avenue in Woodward's 1807 plan
2. Site of Detroit's first City Hall (1835) and Central Market (1841–1891)
3. Named for city founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac
4. Hosted the 1891 Civil War veterans' national encampment
5. Today home to food-truck rallies, markets and the Bagley Fountain