Detroit People Mover

The Detroit People Mover (DPM) celebrates 25 years in 2012. It runs in a 3 mile elevated loop from the Renaissance Center, passing through Bricktown, Greektown, the Cadillac Center, Broadway, Grand Circus Park, Times Square,  Michigan Ave, Fort/Cass, Cobo Center, Joe Louis Arena, the Financial District and the Millender Center. The fare is 75 cents. Many people use this to park in Greektown and then take this transportation to the Joe Louis Arena for Red Wing hockey games or to Cobo for events like the International Auto Show of which today is the last day.

Detroit People Mover - Times Square

The People mover first opened on July 23, 1987. It's only 50 cents a ride and takes about 1 hour to complete the circuit, hopping on and off to see all 13 stations. Tom Phardel (1950- ), who was teaching at Pewabic Pottery in '87, is the artist of the Time Square Station. The bold colors used are not typically found in the Pewabic palette. He created two murals, one you can see when entering the turnstiles, using 163 square feet of tile, and the others after turning the corner to the escalator using 800 square feet of tile. This work is tilted In Honor of W. Hawkins Ferry, Detroit architect and original member of the Art in the Stations Commission as well as president of the DIA's Friends of the Modern Art auxiliary.

Cathedral Arches of the People Mover

The art in Detroit's People Mover stations is quite fascinating. This is Cadillac Square and the rounded arches makes one think of a cathedral. They are done in those incredible pewabic tiles that are indigenous to our city. The creator was Mary Chase Stratton and these greenish tiles were fired back in 1935. They had been held in storage for the Stroh Brewery, but since they did not use them, they were donated for the People Mover! The plaque depicts the arrival of Mme Cadillac in Detroit back in the early 1700's. It's on loan from the Detroit Art Institute.