[1] This area around West Vernor Highway was settled by German immigrants in the 1870s, and became a small farming community.

A few commercial buildings were constructed during this time, but commercial development in the district rapidly increased in the 1920s after the completion of the nearby Ford River Rouge Complex and the subsequent expansion of the nearby residential districts.

Afterward, the area remained economically viable into the 1960s when the effects of the citywide population loss and disinvestment became apparent.

However, the Vernor/Lawndale District retains a diverse mixture of ethnic groups, with the original German immigrants making way for a primarily African-American and Latino population.

These buildings include:[3] Media related to West Vernor-Lawndale Historic District at Wikimedia Commons