Detroit By Night
Cadillac and the French Indian War
Judge Woodward’s Master Plan
In the aftermath of a fire that devastated much of the town’s important buildings in 1805, Judge Augustus
Woodward arrived. His friend Thomas Jefferson appointed him to supervise the rebuilding of the town.
A highly learned and eccentric character, Judge Woodward was known for his bizarre judicial decisions,
his grubby apparel, and his fondness for brandy. Woodward devised an elaborate new street system,
based on the street plan for Washington, DC. The plan featured circular parks connected by spoke-like
avenues. Although it has been largely replaced by a standard grid system, Woodward’s plan laid out
much of present-day downtown, creating office buildings with unusual shapes and a confusing web of
streets, parks, and plazas. Grand Circus park sits at the center of Woodward’s city layout.
Stryck Wiki