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Structure, Pembroke, since 1941

Birwood Wall

Still standing, photographed 2022

Concrete wall, one half mile long, Detroit, Michigan, 1941 Photo: John Vachon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Opened
1941
Standing
85 years

Birwood Wall has stood on Mendota St. in Pembroke since 1941, 85 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.

On the map

More photos of Birwood Wall

Four children pose in front of the Birwood Wall in the present-day Eight Mile-Wyoming neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan..., 1941 Photo: John Vachon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
View of the Birwood Wall from Alfonso Wells Playground, Detroit, MI, USA, 2011 Photo: Király-Seth, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Birwood Wall in Detroit in 2022, during a dedication ceremony for a Michigan state historical marker Photo: City of Detroit, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What is there now

Standing and open

We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.

The story

By Victoria Jackson, Editor in Chief Updated

In 1941, as the city's factories turned to the war effort and then back to cars, Birwood Wall opened in Pembroke.

The National Register of Historic Places listed it in 2021.

It is still open, and still part of daily life in the city.

Next time you are nearby, stop at 20194 Mendota St and look up.

The Birwood Wall, also referred to as Detroit's Wailing Wall, Berlin Wall or The Detroit Eight Mile Wall, is a one-foot-thick (0.30 m), six-foot-high (1.8 m) separation wall that stretches about 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) in length. 1 foot (0.30 m) is buried in the ground and the remaining 5 feet (1.5 m) is visible to the community.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Timeline

  1. 1941 Built
  2. 2021 Listed on the National Register January 27, 2021
  3. 2026 Today 85 years and still standing

Where it is

20194 Mendota St.

On this map

  1. Birwood Wall This place
  2. Higginbotham School 0.4 mi
  3. William E. Higginbotham Elementary School 0.4 mi
  4. Louis G. Redstone Residential Historic District 0.7 mi

Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors

More from Detroit in the 1940s

Around the block

It is in Pembroke. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.

Photo credits

Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.

  1. Concrete wall, one half mile long, Detroit, Michigan, 1941 Photo: John Vachon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  2. Four children pose in front of the Birwood Wall in the present-day Eight Mile-Wyoming neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan..., 1941 Photo: John Vachon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  3. View of the Birwood Wall from Alfonso Wells Playground, Detroit, MI, USA, 2011 Photo: Király-Seth, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  4. The Birwood Wall in Detroit in 2022, during a dedication ceremony for a Michigan state historical marker Photo: City of Detroit, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
  5. Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan speaks at the 2022 dedication ceremony for a Michigan historical marker commemorating the... Photo: City of Detroit, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.