On October 21st, the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, partners and hundreds of community members celebrated the completion of the 3.5-mile East Riverfront – one of the most transformational projects in Detroit's history. The beautiful public space illustrates the
Conservancy's 20-year bold vision of a revitalized riverfront, and includes a series of world-class parks and trails from Huntington Place to Belle Isle in downtown Detroit.

The celebration marked the opening of the Uniroyal Promenade, a newly built connection and half-mile extension of the Riverwalk which now completes the East Riverfront. The new promenade, developed on a site which has stood vacant since 1980, connects Gabriel Richard Park to Mt. Elliott Park and provides access to Belle Isle – the country's largest island park designed by Frederick Olmsted, designer of Central Park in New York City.

Other destinations along the East Riverfront managed by the Conservancy include Robert C. Valade Park, Cullen Plaza, the Dequindre Cut Greenway and Dennis Archer Greenway.

“Twenty years ago, a fledgling new Conservancy made a promise to the people of Detroit that we would transform the Detroit Riverfront through the creation of a 3.5-mile system of parks and trails between what is now Huntington Place and Belle Isle,” said Matt Cullen, founding chairman of the Conservancy's Board of Directors. “Today we celebrate the fulfillment of that promise. Working together, we have brought that bold vision to reality. It's a special moment for all of us and one that will be celebrated for generations to come.”

Since 2003, the Conservancy has invested $300 million to transform the Detroit Riverfront. This investment in the parks and trails along the riverfront has generated more than $2 billion in public and private development.

"What the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has accomplished in the past 20 years is just extraordinary and opening this final piece of the East Riverfront is a perfect exclamation point,” said Mayor Mike Duggan. “For 300 years, Detroit had a riverfront that was almost completely inaccessible to the public. In just two decades they have turned it into the best riverwalk in America three years running. Thanks to their tremendous leadership and partners, it won't be long before the Conservancy completes its vision of a public Riverwalk stretching from the Belle Isle Bridge to the Ambassador Bridge."

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy leads the public-private partnership that has led the revitalization of the riverfront the last 20 years. The nonprofit launched in 2003 with three founding partners: the City of Detroit, The Kresge Foundation and General Motors.

• The City of Detroit was instrumental in providing infrastructure improvements along the riverfront, acquiring land, and relocating three cement factories to make room for the Riverwalk.
• The Kresge Foundation made a $50 million matching grant in 2002 for the transformation of the Detroit Riverfront. The investment was the biggest gift in the Kresge Foundation's history. This investment inspired a broad coalition of foundations, individuals, and corporations that invested an
  additional $110 million of philanthropic support.
• General Motors purchased the Renaissance Center for its new world headquarters in 1996 and completed a $500 million renovation in 2004. GM loaned executive leadership to the Conservancy, and built the first stretch of Riverwalk promenade from the Port Authority to Cullen Plaza. This
  promenade was donated to the Conservancy, providing a precedent that helped with landacquisition conversations with the other eight property owners along the East Riverfront. Additionally, GM donated $2.5 million in 2021 to complete the Uniroyal Promenade and the vision for the East Riverfront.

“It's rare for a city to complete such a bold vision,” said Mark Wallace, president & CEO of the Conservancy. “The transformation of the Detroit Riverfront has been supported for 20 years by the love of the community and the investments of countless foundations, corporations, and individuals. No one has done what we've done here in Detroit. It is a testament of what happens when we all work together for a common goal.”

The New Uniroyal Promenade
The Uniroyal Promenade represents an $11 million investment. Construction began on the promenade in May 2021 following a one-year, $3 million shoreline restoration project that was led by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Uniroyal property contains 42 acres of land, and the Uniroyal factory once employed 10,000 people. It closed in 1980 and was demolished in 1985.

Partners in the Uniroyal Promenade project include the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy, the City of Detroit, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Conservancy has worked with the Michigan Department of Transportation on several significant and high-profile projects over the years, including Mt. Elliott Park, the DDA parcel along the West Riverfront and the Robert C. Valade Park. MDOT has activated funds secured by former US Senator Carl Levin, whose 2005 earmark to help pay for the Uniroyal Promenade. MDOT served as the project manager of the new promenade.

Naming of Christopher Stroh Plaza
The Conservancy announced the naming of the plaza at Gabriel Richard Park in memory of Christopher Stroh, whose family has committed a significant gift to support the mission of the Conservancy.

Christopher Stroh Plaza is one of the most beautiful, peaceful and picturesque locations along the East Riverfront. The plaza offers inspiring views of Detroit River sunrises and commanding views of Belle Isle and the MacArthur Bridge. Just steps away from Christopher Stroh Plaza is the winding pathway that will lead users of the new Uniroyal Promenade to Belle Isle.

Stroh's parents, Vivian Day and Conservancy Board member John W. Stroh, III, are honored to have the plaza named for their son.

“Christopher was the consummate outdoorsman, and from the time he was a child he loved to spend as much time as he could on and around the waters of Lake St Clair and the Detroit River. He lived along the Detroit Riverwalk for nearly a decade and frequently, he could be found walking along it with his beloved fiancée Alexis and Labrador retriever, Holly. It gives us great comfort to honor and remember him with the naming of Christopher Stroh Plaza. We hope that the plaza will be a place where many families can make memories that will last a lifetime,” Stroh and Day said in a statement.

The Detroit Riverfront Marks 20 Years
This year the Conservancy opened the Southwest Greenway on the West Riverfront near Michigan Central. On the near horizon is the stunning 22-acre Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Centennial Park designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh and slated to open in 2025. The Conservancy's ultimate vision is to develop 5.5 miles of riverfront from the Belle Isle Bridge to the Ambassador Bridge.

The Detroit Riverfront attracts 3.5 million visitors annually and has remained open every day during the coronavirus pandemic. The Detroit Riverwalk was recently named Best Riverwalk in the country by USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards for three years in a row.

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About the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy
The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 with the mission to develop public access to Detroit's riverfront and serve as an anchor for economic development. As the permanent stewards of the Riverwalk and the Dequindre Cut, the Conservancy is responsible for raising the funds needed for construction, operation, maintenance, security and programming of the public spaces located along the riverfront. The ultimate vision is for the Conservancy to develop five-and-a-half miles of riverfront from the Ambassador Bridge on the west to Gabriel Richard Park, just east of the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.

Visit www.detroitriverfront.org for more information.

Press Contacts:
Marc Pasco, DRFC Director of Communications, 313.566.8240 Marc.Pasco@detroitriverfront.org
Heather George, Lovio George, 248.417.5773, HGeorge@loviogeorge.com