Building, Gold Coast, since 1939
River Terrace Apartments
No demolition on record
- Opened
- 1939
- Style
- Colonial Revival
- Standing
- 87 years
The River Terrace Apartments has stood on E. Jefferson St. in Gold Coast since 1939, 87 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
What is there now
Under renovation
- Electrical permit Installation of new service equipment exterior to the Building Source: City and county building permits
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 24, 2026.
The story
In 1939, through the Depression years, when every new building in Detroit was a statement of faith, the River Terrace Apartments opened in Gold Coast.
It was built in the Colonial Revival style, and it still reads that way from the sidewalk.
It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Next time you are nearby, stop at 7700 E. Jefferson St and look up.
The River Terrace Apartments is an apartment building located at 7700 East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. River Terrace Apartments was one of the first two garden apartment complexes built in Michigan which used loan guarantees from the Federal Housing Administration, the other being Hillcrest Village in East Lansing.
Timeline
- 1939 Built Colonial Revival
- 2009 Listed on the National Register April 15, 2009
- 2025 Electrical permit July 17, 2025
- 2026 Today Under renovation
Where it is
7700 E. Jefferson St.
On this map
- 1 River Terrace Apartments This place
- 2 Brodhead Naval Armory 450 ft
- 3 Julius T. Melchers House 0.2 mi
- 4 Alden Park Towers 0.2 mi
- 5 Riverview Park 0.2 mi
- 6 Indian Village Manor Apartments 0.3 mi
- 7 Frederick K. Stearns House 0.3 mi
- 8 Van Dyke Manor 0.3 mi
- 9 Detroit Towers 0.3 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1930s
-
Brewster-Douglass Projects
Building, built 1938, demolished 2013
Photo: Albert duce, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Louis G. Redstone Residential Historic District
Historic district, built 1940, International Style
Photo: National Park Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Birwood Wall
Structure, built 1941
Photo: John Vachon, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Immaculata High School
Building, built 1941, Modern Movement
Photo: Albertype Company, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Alger Theater
Theater, built 1935, Art Moderne
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House
Building, built 1934, Moderne
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
It is in Gold Coast. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
-
Brodhead Naval Armory
Building, built 1930, Art Deco/Art Moderne, by Stratton & Hyde
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
450 ft
- Julius T. Melchers House Built 1897, Colonial Revival, in West Village 0.2 mi
-
Alden Park Towers
Building, built 1922, Tudor Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.2 mi
- Riverview Park Building, built 1905, demolished 1928 0.2 mi
- Indian Village Manor Apartments Building, built 1921, by Bonnah & Chaffee 0.3 mi
-
Frederick K. Stearns House
Built 1903, Tudor, in Indian Village
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
-
Van Dyke Manor
Building, built 1928, by Jacob I. Weinberg
Photo: Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.3 mi
- Detroit Towers Building, built 1926, by Walter W. Ahlschlager 0.3 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- River Terrace Apartments 7700 E. Jefferson Ave Detroit MI Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.