Springwells Village
Springwells Village is a name used to refer to a neighborhood in southwest Detroit, Michigan, near the Ford Motor Company River Rouge Plant.The name cites the original village founded in 1783 and absorbed by Detroit in 1885. Father Gabriel Richards established the Springwells School in 1820. Another Springwells began in Springwells Township before also being absorbed in 1925. Named for the abundance of springs and wells, the moniker also has roots in non-profit community redevelopment initiatives from around the turn of the century. These initiatives are active to date and range in priority from housing development to resident services to specific site-based redevelopment and community rebranding strategies that generally share the desire to improve the community's image and reputation as well as its presentation in media. At times the neighborhood is also called the Springwells neighborhood in regard to city planning.
Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, a local non-profit, is working on a Springwells Village marketing campaign aimed at increasing economic activity for local businesses as well as attracting new businesses and residents to the area. The community rebranding process is being funded as part of a larger initiative of LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) called Building Sustainable Communities which UNI was commissioned to facilitate in the neighborhood surrounding Vernor and Springwells.
The Springwells Village neighborhood is typically defined as the area starting at Dix Hwy. to the north, Waterman St. to east, Fort St. to the south, and Woodmere St. to the west.
In 2002, the West Vernor-Springwells and the West Vernor-Lawndale Historic Districts in the neighborhood were recognized by the National Register of Historic Places Springwells includes Odd Fellows Hall, a 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) historic building built in 1917. Recently restored with funding from Governor Jennifer Granholm's Cool Cities initiative, it is hoped that the Hall will "serve as an anchor to the neighborhood and a magnet for further economic development and job creation."
Detroit Public Schools operates public schools.
High school students are zoned to Western International High School. High school students were previously zoned to Southwestern High School. Southwestern closed in 2012, and students were reassigned to Western..
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