Home to Greektown Casino, Greektown is a historic district located just outside downtown Detroit, Michigan. The area, which runs along Monroe Avenue between St. Antoine and Brush Streets, is largely commercial, and features a heavy concentration of Greek restaurants along with several churches and the Greektown Casino. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The area that is known as Greektown today was originally settled by German immigrants in the 1830s. However, as the neighborhood matured, the first wave of immigrants moved to areas further out from downtown and were replaced by new Greek immigrants. Many of the new immigrants established businesses, including restaurants, stores, bakeries and coffee houses. As the area became more heavily commercialized, the residents moved out to more residential areas, but the businesses they'd established remained behind. By the mid-1960s, the once-thriving and busy residential neighborhood had become a few blocks of commercial buildings.
In 1966, a group of concerned Greek businessmen approached the city with their concern that their neighborhood was in danger of disappearing. They organized the first annual Greek Festival to be held in the neighborhood, and worked with the mayor and the city to refurbish the neighborhood, installing new lighting and improving building exteriors. The Greek Festival ran for years until it grew too large. By the time it was discontinued, the Greektown neighborhood was well-established.
Thanks to the efforts of the Greek community in Detroit, today's Greektown is one of the few remaining Victorian commercial neighborhoods in the city. The streets are lined with restaurants that serve authentic Greek cuisine, and traditional Greek music spills from the open doors of coffee houses, cafes and stores. The area has become a focal point of downtown and a destination in and of itself. While Greektown was originally predominantly Greek in flavor, recent years have seen the addition of Thai, Italian and Southern cuisines, giving the district a distinctly international flavor.
Among the tenants of the historic neighborhood is the Greektown Casino, one of Detroit's three operating casinos. The Casino features over 100,000 square feet of gaming space that includes more than 2,500 slot machines, 67 table games, a VIP gaming area and a Poker Room. In addition to the Casino, the district features the Greektown Casino Hotel, billed as Detroit's newest hot hotel. The 30 story hotel is sheathed in translucent blue glass, standing out against the Detroit skyline. The hotel features 400 guest rooms including 2-3 bedroom suites. The hotel also features 25,000 square feet of meeting and convention space available for events.
The best times to sample Greektown are during the annual Fourth of July festivities, when the area's ethnic pride is on full display, during the yearly Taste of Greece event held each August, and in the days surrounding Greek Easter. Greektown is one of the stops on the Detroit People Mover, making it an easy trip from anywhere in the city.
