The land that this historic district sits on, like the adjacent
Palmer Park and nearby
Palmer Woods Historic District, was once the estate of
Thomas W. Palmer, a wealthy Detroiter and one-time
US Senator. Palmer had intended to develop this area into a subdivision, but died in 1913 before bringing the idea to fruition. After Palmer's death, this portion of the estate was purchased by
Walter Briggs.). Forty buildings total were constructed in the district by multiple architects, including Weidmaier and Gay, Robert West, and William Kapp. Most of the buildings were constructed in the 1920s and 1930s, but development continued until 1965. Craig Covey, formerly a member of the city council of
Ferndale, said that most of the former gay residents of Palmer Park "tended to move up
Woodward Avenue and they settled in Ferndale,
Royal Oak and
Birmingham depending on their economic abilities. The middle-class folks came to Ferndale and
Pleasant Ridge, as I did." The "
Hotter Than July!" annual LGBT festival is held in
Palmer Park; the festival states that it caters to the "black same-gender-loving". == Description ==