Ferndale Fun Fact #4

Ferndale Fun Fact #4. Ferndale History. , Originally built in 1924 as a Detroit Edison office, 22644 Woodward Avenue became the center of local controversy in Downtown Ferndale in the mid-1990s when it was occupied by the Loving Touch Massage Parlor. The erotic parlor was picketed by the Ferndale Jaycees in an effort to close it down, and they even shined car headlights on patrons as they left the building. The site has now been home to a popular brewery since 1997, Woodward Avenue Brewers, being one of the pioneers of the revitalization of Downtown Ferndale in the 21st century. , , Like most of the communities surrounding Woodward Avenue north of Detroit, Ferndale began as a rural area with the earliest non-native American settler arriving in 1821. Originally part of Royal Oak Township, the community had farms and provided a resting point and services for those traveling on Woodward Avenue from Detroit to Pontiac in the first half of the 1800s. In 1890, the Campbell farm near Hilton Road was platted for summer cottages and Ferndale's population began to increase as a rural resort community outside of Detroit. Transportation to the area improved with the arrival of the Detroit Suburban Railway in 1890 and the paving of Woodward Avenue in 1912. The area was platted into subdivisions from 1910 through 1924. , , With 1,600 people, Ferndale became a village in 1918. There were two churches, three schools (including the school at Woodward and Nine Mile Road) and six stores. During the next seven years the population increased dramatically. This growth was primarily influenced by the construction of Ford Motor Company's Highland Park Plant located two miles south on Woodward. By 1924, the village's population reached 24,000 and in 1927 Ferndale became a city. The years following World War II brought additional growth to Ferndale in the number of residents and businesses, including new industries. The last 20 years of major efforts to bring new businesses and improvements to the downtown commercial area has created new vitality in the city and its residential neighborhoods. , , Ferndale wayfinding signage is funded in part by a grant from the Woodward Avenue Action Association through the U.S. Department of Transportation/Federal Highway Association.