One of the most ambitious developments in Detroit over the past few years is City Modern, a collection of modern residential new builds in Brush Park. The historic neighborhood once held a variety of Second Empire and Victorian mansions; few remain. In late 2016, Bedrock broke ground on the first of many apartment buildings in the neighborhood.
Construction first started on The Flats, a more affordable apartment building for residents 55 and older. For-sale properties were then completed along Alfred Street, followed by the Residences at 2660 John R.
Townhouses and carriage houses line Alfred Street, with apartment buildings on the corners. And since the announcement and groundbreaking, a slew of other new developments and rehabs have sprung up throughout Brush Park. The infill development and boost of new residents in that period of time is rare in Detroit.
We checked in with Bedrock, the developer, and Hunter Pasteur, who are leading the sales of the townhomes and carriage homes, to see what's recently been completed and what's yet to come.
"City Modern is one of the most dynamic and transformational mixed use developments in recent Detroit history," says Seth Herkowitz, Partner at Hunter Pasteur. "The development’s success is evident by the fact that the project is nearing completion and has created residential and commercial activity to an area that had previously seen vacancy and dereliction of a once beautiful neighborhood."
2021 was a big year for finishing construction in City Modern, with four market-rate apartment buildings completed. Here's what's ready and available now.
The Residences at 440 Alfred Street sit along Brush Street, bordered by Alfred and Division. This building was designed by Detroit's Hamilton Anderson Associates.
The Residences at 2665 Brush sits across the street from 440 Alfred. They were just finished in January and designed by LOHA in Los Angeles. This building will be home to the recently announced Bodega Market.
The Stories at 265 Alfred Street are located among recently rehabbed historic homes. Two three-story buildings (plus garden-level) offer one- and two-bedroom apartments for rent. These were designed by Bedrock.
200 Edmund Place, designed by LOHA in Los Angeles, is a recently completed apartment building along John R, with charcoal grey brick exterior that starts at six stories and steps down to three.
A representative from Bedrock says that leasing has been extremely successful so far in City Modern. Apartments that are available right now range in price from $1,800 to $2,600 in the Stories, and from $1,250 to $2,895 per month in the Residences.
320 Edmund Place is likely the most recognizable of all the new designs with its red metal facade. Like three of the other apartment buildings in City Modern, this was also designed by LOHA. This is the last apartment building still under construction, and will be completed this year.
The final townhomes will be built along Edmund Place. Hunter Pasteur currently has two buildings under construction, with 19 units that will deliver throughout 2022 and into early 2023. They say that sales have been strong, both in terms of sales volume and average sale price.
The prices at City Modern have risen throughout the life of the development. City Modern has several of the highest closing prices relative to other new construction projects in Detroit. Current prices range from $559,850 up to $1,388,800. "The Townhomes and Carriage Homes have raised the bar for residential living in Detroit, through their innovative design, thoughtful approach to architecture, and integration into the Brush Park neighborhood," says Herkowitz.
