
The Art in The Z
Live, work or play in downtown Detroit? Well, maybe you’ve noticed a massive parking structure slowly being created before your very eyes. Over the last 12 months here at Quicken Loans, we’ve loved having meetings that overlook the northeastern part of Detroit to see the progress of the mighty Z-Lot, a large z-shaped parking structure behind a row of beautifully restored buildings. But for this architecture enthusiast, it wasn’t what was on the outside of the behemoth, but what was in the inside. The inside houses 10 floors in two garages of art from some of the world’s most notorious street and graffiti artists!
Curated by Matthew Eaton of the Library Street Collective, the Z officially opened to the public Monday, December 31, to a lot of positive buzz. Outside of the Detroit Beautification Project, the city of Detroit has never had a mural project quite like this one. With artists such as St. Petersburg, Russia’s Wais (go see his elevator piece at night), to the landscape imagery of Gaia’s “Endless Frontier,” the Z is the perfect place to see world-class muralists without having to venture to New York City or Miami’s Wynwood district.
The artists add an interesting twist to an already unorthodox-looking parking structure. Turning a parking garage into yet another Detroit destination is just another reason why downtown Detroit is on the upswing. With over 1,300 parking spaces available and 34,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, the future of the Z can only look bright.
But don’t take it from me, head over to the Z (1234 Library Street) or if you don’t want to brave the cold, please visit here for more photos.
- Opportunity Detroit