‘Black Bottom Street View’ exhibit returns to Bert’s Warehouse in Detroit • Michigan Advance

The acclaimed exhibition “Black Bottom Street View” returns to Detroit this summer.

It will be open to the public at Bert’s Warehouse in the Eastern Market neighborhood from Saturday through July 28, according to Marcia Black of Black Bottom Archives, a nonprofit organization that preserves the history of the well-known, predominantly African-American community that was razed by the city government in the 1950s as part of urban renewal.

Black said that iImmersive panoramic exhibition Offers a “unique insight into the vibrant life of Black Bottom before its demolition.” It reconstructs 20 blocks of the historic community using over 2,000 archival photographs from the Detroit Public Library’s Burton Historical Collection taken between 1949 and 1950.

“Visitors can walk the historic streets, listen to oral histories and remember the neighborhood as it once was,” Black said.

Black told the Advance payment that the exhibition is free and open to the public. Bert’s Warehouse is located at 2727 Russell Street in Detroit. The exhibition is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The grand opening celebration will be on Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.

“Before its demolition, Black Bottom was an important focal point for Detroit’s black community,” Black said. “It comprised approximately 40 blocks on the city’s east side, bordered by Gratiot Avenue to the north, Brush Street to the west, and the Grand Trunk Western Railroad tracks to the south and east. Although it was labeled a ‘slum’ by city leaders such as Mayor (Albert) Cobo, Black Bottom is remembered as a thriving neighborhood, cultural center, and home to numerous black businesses, despite the challenges of segregation and poverty.”

The exhibition was previously on display at the Detroit Public Library’s main branch and the Dequindre Cut Greenway.

“The Black Bottom Street View exhibition is not just an exhibition; it is a living tribute to a neighborhood that was the heart of Detroit’s black community,” said Emily Kutil, the exhibition’s curator.