Great Big Canvas will prove to you that Detroit is more than just cars! It is a major commercial center on the Detroit River which links Lake Huron to Lake Erie. Founded in 1701, the city has grown to be America's eleventh largest city. While it has the reputation as being the world's automotive capital, gaining it the nickname Motor City, it has also been known at times as Rock City, Arsenal of Democracy, the D-Town, and Motown for the region's popular music. It is the United State's only major city that is located north of Canada, (looking south toward Windsor, Ontario). The Detroit/Windsor area is a prominent commercial link along the Canadian/U.S. border, and because it is located along the Great Lakes waterway, it has become a transportation hub. Before and during the Civil War, Detroit's location on the Canadian border made it an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Detroit was the capital of Michigan from 1805 to 1847.
Detroit's architecture has caused it to be referred to as the Paris of the West, with its lovely Washington Boulevard and its many Gilded Age mansions of the 1800s.
Automobile pioneers like Henry Ford, William C. Durant, the Dodge bothers, Packard and Chrysler left their mighty mark on the city. This industrialized city is likely to bring to mind labor challenges such as the 1930s strife at the Cadillac Motor Company, labor activism of the United Auto Workers, Jimmy Hoffa, and Walter Reuther.
Our canvases showcase the revitalized Detroit with its preservation of the old and its vision for the future: The Comerica Tower at the Detroit Center, first-class casinos and accompanying resorts, new stadiums for the Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Lions, the upscale million-dollar Watermark Detroit condos, and the spectacular new River Walk, a 5.5 mile public waterfront linking parks, plazas, and lovely green spaces. A look at our canvas collection will show you why some of Detroit's city-limit signs boast: Welcome to Detroit, the Renaissance City.
