The Detroit Institute of Arts’ Woodward entrance (2018) — Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

QLINE / Stop 9 of 12

QLINE stopFerry Street

Two curbside platforms · the QLINE’s museum stop

The QLINE’s museum stop in the Cultural Center: the Detroit Institute of Arts with Diego Rivera’s frescoes, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Main Library and the historic houses of East Ferry Avenue.

↑ north: 8:20

↓ south: 7:34

Platforms: two curbside platforms
District: Midtown, Cultural Center
From Congress Street: 20 min
From Grand Boulevard: 4 min
Sponsor in 2017: FCA (now Stellantis)

01 / Story

The stop’s story

The official QLINE site recommends Ferry as its “Art, Culture & History” stop, and there’s no better description. To the east is the Detroit Institute of Arts: Paul Philippe Cret’s white marble palace was dedicated on October 7, 1927, and its central court is wrapped in Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry frescoes, painted in 1932 and 1933. To the west stands the Detroit Historical Museum, opened on July 24, 1951, the 250th anniversary of Detroit’s founding, next to the Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert.

Rivera’s frescoes were commissioned by Edsel Ford; the two main walls show workers at Ford’s River Rouge plant, and since 2014 the murals have been a National Historic Landmark. In June 2024 the QLINE’s cars were wrapped for the Kresge Foundation’s 100th anniversary, tied to its exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum right by the stop.

The stop’s first headline wasn’t glorious: on July 24, 2017 a Jeep turned into a streetcar at Woodward and Ferry, leaving only cosmetic damage. The Ferry stop was sponsored in 2017 by FCA, today’s Stellantis.

The Detroit Institute of Arts and Diego Rivera’s frescoes
The Detroit Historical Museum
The Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert
The historic houses of East Ferry Avenue

02 / From the window

What you see from here

On your right the Detroit Institute of Arts, and toward Farnsworth Street the Scarab Club artists’ club; on your left the Detroit Historical Museum. East along the cross street, East Ferry Avenue is lined with historic houses, among them the former home of art collector Charles Lang Freer.

03 / Timeline

The stop’s timeline

October 7, 1927
The DIA building is dedicated
Paul Philippe Cret’s white marble palace on Woodward.
1932–1933
Rivera’s frescoes
Diego Rivera paints the Detroit Industry murals.
July 24, 1951
The Historical Museum opens
On the 250th anniversary of Detroit’s founding.
April 23, 2014
National Historic Landmark
Rivera’s frescoes are named a National Historic Landmark.
May 12, 2017
The stop opens
The stop is sponsored by FCA, today’s Stellantis.
July 24, 2017
The first notable crash
A Jeep turns into a streetcar at Ferry.
June 2024
Kresge 100
Anniversary wraps on the cars and an exhibit at the Historical Museum.
Today
The streetcar stops here every fifteen minutes, free of charge.

04 / Did you know?

Did you know?

A 2014 appraisal valued the DIA’s collection at up to $8.1 billion.
The Detroit Historical Museum grew from the collection of attorney and historian Clarence M. Burton, who gave it to the city library in 1914.
The 701-meter wired section from Hancock Street ends at Ferry Street; farther north you’ll only see short stretches of wire, such as the one above the Amsterdam Street stop.

A closer look

The Detroit Historical Museum at Woodward and Kirby (2018) — Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

The Detroit Public Library’s marble facade on Woodward (2018) — Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

Car 291 in the Kresge Foundation’s 100th-anniversary wrap downtown (2024) — Kyah117 · CC BY 4.0

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.

05 / Nearby

Places within walking distance

Quarter Detroit places around the stop, with straight-line distances.

Around the stop, from the official QLINE list and the map

Detroit Historical Museum 2 min
Detroit’s story since 1951, from cobblestone streets to the auto assembly line.
East Ferry Avenue 2 min
Two blocks of historic homes, including the Hecker and Freer houses.
Detroit Institute of Arts 4 min
More than a hundred galleries, Diego Rivera’s frescoes and one of the country’s great collections.
Detroit Public Library 4 min
The Main Library in Vermont marble, in Italian Renaissance style.
Scarab Club 6 min
An artists’ club, gallery and studios on Farnsworth Street, near the DIA.