QLINE / Stop 2 of 12
QLINE stopCampus Martius
Two platforms, one each way · on Detroit’s main square
The stop on Detroit’s main square, Campus Martius Park: the ice rink, the city’s Christmas tree, the Hudson’s Detroit tower and Capitol Park a few steps away.
Live GPS positions
- Platforms
- two curbside platforms
- District
- Downtown
- From Congress Street
- 5 min
- From Grand Boulevard
- 19 min
- Sponsor in 2017
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
01 / Story
The stop’s story
Campus Martius takes its name from the Latin “Field of Mars”, and after the great fire of 1805 Judge Augustus Woodward made it the center of the rebuilt city. A medallion in the pavement marks the zero point of Detroit’s grid: Seven Mile Road runs seven miles north of here, 8 Mile eight. Today’s park reopened on November 19, 2004, with stages, sculptures and an ice rink modeled on Rockefeller Center’s, only bigger.
In the early 1900s streetcars crowded Campus Martius nose to tail, as the old postcards show. Construction of today’s QLINE officially began right here on July 28, 2014, on the stretch of Woodward between Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius, with Mayor Mike Duggan declaring: “This is history.”
In May 2017, eleven days before opening, one of the new cars made a test run here, with the M-1 Rail badge already on the railings. After the first year the signals at Campus Martius were retimed so the streetcar spends less time at red lights. The stop’s sponsor in 2017 was Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
- The zero point of Detroit’s Mile Roads
- An ice rink and the city’s Christmas tree
- The Hudson’s Detroit tower and Rocket Mortgage’s headquarters
- Capitol Park and Greektown a few minutes away
02 / From the window
What you see from here
Look around: One Campus Martius, finished in 2003, is now Rocket Mortgage’s headquarters, and on the site of the old Hudson’s department store rises the Hudson’s Detroit tower, the second-tallest building in Detroit. The Civil War–era Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument stands on the square, and to the west you can see the trees of Capitol Park, where Michigan’s first state capitol once stood.
03 / Timeline
The stop’s timeline
Woodward’s plan
After the great fire, Judge Augustus Woodward makes Campus Martius the center of the new city.
Compuware’s headquarters opens
One Campus Martius is now Rocket Mortgage’s headquarters.
A park again
Today’s Campus Martius Park opens with its ice rink.
Construction begins
A ceremony on the stretch between Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius.
Test run
Eleven days before opening, a new car makes a test run here.
The stop opens
The QLINE’s first day; the stop is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Retimed signals
After the first year the signals at Campus Martius are optimized.
The streetcar stops here every fifteen minutes, free of charge.
04 / Did you know?
Did you know?
The ice rink was inspired by Rockefeller Center’s in New York, but Detroit’s is bigger.
Every year the city’s official Christmas tree is lit here on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
The name was borrowed from the main square of Marietta, Ohio, the first capital of the Northwest Territory.
A closer look
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-26
Every fact is sourced. Where sources disagree (the number of stops, the weight of the cars or the construction cost, for example) we follow the primary, official source and say so in the text. The timetable comes from the QLINE’s official GTFS data and live positions from the RTA’s feed.
- QLINE – On the Line ↗
- City of Detroit Open Data – QLine Stops ↗
- QLINE – Plan your ride (archived 2017) ↗
- CBS Detroit, 2014-07-28 – History made as construction starts ↗
- QLINE On The Move – one-year report (archived) ↗
- QLINE station map 2021 (PDF) ↗
- Wikipedia – Campus Martius Park ↗
- Wikipedia – One Campus Martius ↗
- Wikipedia – Hudson’s Detroit ↗
- Wikipedia – Capitol Park Historic District ↗
- Wikipedia – Greektown ↗
05 / Nearby
Places within walking distance
Quarter Detroit places around the stop, with straight-line distances.
2 min walk · 108 mDetroit People MoverEverything about the Detroit People Mover: 13 stations, a live timetable loop on an aerial photo, a virtual ride, a timeline from 1863 to 2027, 19 works of art, technology, ridership, contacts and social media.
3 min walk · 179 mPeople Mover – Cadillac Center stationThe station for Campus Martius and Hudson’s Detroit, home to Pewabic’s greatest historic tile hoard; its ridership grew nearly fivefold in 2024.- 4 min walk · 262 mDeluxx FluxxA basement dance club under The Belt alley downtown, inspired by early arcade culture, punk, hip-hop and art, with hip-hop on weekends and R&B on Thursdays.
- 5 min walk · 302 mCafe D'Mongo's SpeakeasyA quirky weekend-only speakeasy on Griswold Street in downtown Detroit's Capitol Park, with live music Friday and Saturday nights.
5 min walk · 322 mGuardian BuildingColorful tile, geometric patterns, and an Art Deco skyscraper with an extraordinary interior.
6 min walk · 348 mPeople Mover – Broadway stationThe station at Broadway and John R Street brings riders to the opera, Music Hall, Ford Field and Comerica Park.- 6 min walk · 377 mDetroit Queer History Walking TourHistorian-led walking tour of Detroit LGBTQ+ sites from the 1930s on, from Club Frontenac to the Palmer Park 'gayborhood.'
- 6 min walk · 387 mParamita SoundA record store and downtown bar on Broadway Street hosting intimate, community-based DJ nights.
- 7 min walk · 402 mBleu DetroitA downtown Woodward Avenue nightclub with DJ-driven nights spanning hip-hop, house, techno, Latin and Top 40.
Around the stop, from the official QLINE list and the map
- One Campus Martius 1 min
Compuware’s 2003 headquarters, now home to Rocket Mortgage.
- Hudson’s Detroit 3 min
The tower complex on the site of the legendary Hudson’s store; the taller tower is Detroit’s second-tallest building.
- Capitol Park 3 min
A small park where Michigan’s first state capitol once stood, now one of downtown’s liveliest corners.
- Greektown 8 min
The entertainment district on Monroe Street with Greek roots, restaurants and a casino.
- The Belt
A mural-lined downtown alley, one of the QLINE’s official destinations.
06 / Events
Events near the stop
Upcoming events at venues around the stop.
Oct 3, 2026, 11:00 AMGet Your Detroit Queer History Straight: LGBTQ History Walking Tour
Guardian Building · 5 min walkPreservation Detroit leads a downtown walk through Detroit’s LGBTQ history, from early gay bars to the Palmer Park scene, on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 11 a.m. from the Guardian Building. Tickets are $23.18–$28.52 on Eventbrite.