The neighborhoods are dominated by the thoroughfare of Woodward Avenue, which runs north and south through the heart of Midtown.

[2] Woodward Avenue, running north and south through the center of the neighborhood, is primarily inhabited by commercial businesses, public-oriented/cultural institutions, and religious buildings.

[3] The north part of Midtown west of Woodward Avenue is dominated by Wayne State University, whose campus subsumes nearly the entire northwest portion of Midtown north of Warren Avenue and west of Woodward.

[5] Wayne's campus is irregular, and parts extend south of Warren (notably Old Main) and north of I-94, out of Midtown and into the New Center neighborhood.

The availability of urban redevelopment grants beginning in the 1950s became an important funding resource for expansion of the university.

[8] Wayne State University, then housed in the former Central High School, began offering four-year degrees.

The north Cass section also has a smattering of industrial buildings dating from the automotive heyday of Detroit.

[23] South of Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard, the area of Midtown around Cass Park is at a substantial distance from both the downtown core and the influence of Wayne State.

Early residents of Brush Park included lumber baron David Whitney Jr., his daughter Grace Whitney Evans, Joseph L. Hudson, founder of the eponymous department store, lumber baron Lucien Moore, banker Frederick Butler, and dry goods manufacturer Ransom Gillis.

[26] The neighborhood is currently experiencing restoration of its historic homes; at present, about 80 original structures remain in the area.

[27] In the far southeastern corner of Midtown, to the east of Beaubien and Brush Park proper, the now-demolished Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects were located near the Chrysler Freeway.

[30] Land titles were granted to settle remaining uncertainty over the ownership of some parcels, which was in part due to the then fairly recent departure of British colonial forces.

By the time Cass died in 1866, a few of the blocks north of Martin Luther King Boulevard had just been platted.

[30] To the east of the Park Lots, the ribbon farm running through the midtown area was owned by John Askin, an Irish trader.

[31] It wasn't until during the Civil War, as the downtown district became more business-oriented, that northern Woodward Avenue began to be developed.

[32] Construction turned the area that is now Midtown into a primarily upscale, quiet residential district, far from the hustle of the city center.

Streetcar lines established in the 1860s allowed residents to more conveniently travel from the Midtown area to downtown.

[30] The period from 1880 to 1895 brought a boom in the construction of elegant single-family and duplex homes in the Midtown area.

Even before World War I, the congestion along Woodward precipitated a change from upper-class housing to commercial ventures.

[30] The rise of the automobile made more distant neighborhoods such as Boston-Edison and Indian Village easily accessible from the center of Detroit, and families of means moved out of the stately houses along Woodward and in Brush Park.

Midtown's proximity to the automotive plants in the Milwaukee Junction area made it ideal for housing auto workers.

During the 1910s and 1920s, larger apartment buildings were constructed in the area, and many remaining single-family homes were converted into boardinghouses.

[26][30] Commercial usage also increased in the area, particularly in automotive-related sectors: showrooms, service stations, and part supply businesses.

Newly constructed buildings fell into foreclosure, and many of the formerly well-paid auto workers living in the area were out of work.

[30] By the time the recovery from World War II stimulated the economy, industry had relocated to the suburbs, and the area gradually became more residential.

[30] During the Great Depression, many of the older mansions were subdivided into apartments, and as demand for housing fell after World War II.

As the focus shifted to revitalization in the 1990s, more structures in the area have been refurbished, by Wayne State, other public groups, and by private parties.

[35] On March 19, 2010, Vanguard Health Systems announced plans to invest nearly $1.5 B in Detroit Medical Center, including $850 M for expansion and renovation, and $417 M to retire debts, pending approval of its acquisition.