Hart Plaza and Civic Center Promenade
 |
 |
 |
Lying immediately south of the intersection of Woodward and Jefferson Avenues, Hart Plaza is a long time city riverfront destination and venue for a host of summer festivals and concerts. The 14 acre plaza, which is named for the late U.S. Senator Philip Hart, opened in 1975 and has a capacity of 40,000 people. At the center of the plaza is the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978.
HART PLAZA LANDMARKS
Gateway to Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad
Located at Hart Plaza on the Riverfront, the Gateway to Freedom International Memorial to the Underground Railroad commemorates Detroit's pivotal role as a gateway to freedom for thousands of African American people escaping enslavement and finding freedom in Canada. This legacy of Freedom is a vital part of Detroit and its history. Sculpted by Ed Dwight, the monument is collaboration between Detroit 300 and the International Underground Railroad Monument Collaborative and was dedicated on October 20, 2001.
The Horace E. Dodge Fountain
Located at the center of Hart Plaza is the Horace E. Dodge and Son Memorial Fountain, designed by Isamu Noguchi in 1978. Anna Thompson Dodge, the wife of the late Horace Dodge, an auto pioneer, gave the City of Detroit $1,000,000 towards the construction of a fountain in memory of her late husband and son. The stainless steel fountain is composed of two legs topped by a ring to the height of 30 feet above a circular, black granite pool. The fountain contains 300 jets and 300 lights and has a very intricate and computerized lighting and nozzle functions, which can create countless different configurations, dependent on temperature.
