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Henry Street
Apartments

A suite of brandmarks and a unified story to re-introduce a block of historic apartment buildings coming back to life through Olympia Development's innovative partnership.

A neighborhood where Detroit comes together

Henry Street Apartments are seven historic buildings built in the early 1900s, an entire city block that became home to Detroiters of every vocation and background for decades. Historic designation and a multi-tiered arena district development initiative opened up a new chapter for these weathered yet resilient buildings. With their future ahead as a collective campus of low-income, affordable and market-rate rental housing, Olympia Development needed to bring the project together as an engaging whole, while also distinguishing each building.

Henry Street Aparments

Strategy

Our discovery phase took a fascinating dive into historic records, interviews with financing and development partners, and building tours. The six apartment buildings, built as innovative new housing options between 1900 and 1922, are now being renovated across all income levels, and a central commons building serves all residents. The Olympia Development team also explored archetype spaces with us, and together we found inspiration from the Good Neighbor which the buildings and their history so genuinely embodied. Hardworking, down-to-earth, resilient, comfortable and connected are all aspects of the Henry Street Apartments’ character.

Verbal Identity

Brand Story

Henry Street Apartments is Detroit’s story. Located perfectly in The District Detroit at the corner of Cass and Henry Street, these seven historic buildings, make up an entire city block built on aspirations and belonging. A place where people of all stories and experiences become part of Detroit—a city that works hard, invites new ideas, and perseveres like no other.

Historic flyover Histroic photo of the corner Historic photo of the street in front Photo of the corner

Henry Street Apartments are once again opening their doors through painstaking historic restoration to become an engaging part of daily life for Detroiters. High quality living spaces where the details welcome everyone in. Innovations that let you know there’s room for you here. And when you walk out your door onto your neighborhood sidewalk, everything the city has to offer—old and new—is right there for you to experience.

Entrance to the Henry Entrance to the Claridge Entrance to the Berwin

Perhaps even more meaningful than structures and experiences, Henry Street Apartments is a place where people can live their genuine, shared values through an inclusive community center and shared greenspace. History and progress. People and connection. Henry Street Apartments embraces what matters most—it’s where Detroit comes together.

Exterior rendering of the corner Exterior rendering of the buildings

Naming

Our team took a broad approach to naming and looked not only at the block and the buildings themselves, but also the common areas and shared outdoor spaces that are part of the block. We assessed the possibility of all new names for a fresh beginning, and also looked deep into the past for historical names related to the site. In the end, the naming approach matched the simple, straightforward and assured nature of the brand.

Henry Street Apartments brings a focus to this neighborhood street, and the welcoming common building in the center of the block. And while two of the apartment buildings are Cass Avenue addresses, they are clearly welcomed and included as key parts of the block.

Each building kept its historic name—or a revised name pulled from its own history—to maintain connections with the community and celebrating these buildings’ role in Detroit’s growth. By keeping the variations of names, the block embraces the individuality of each while creating a dynamic collection.

Henry Street Apartments

  • HENRY FLATS
  • BRETTON HALL
  • THE GRANDE
  • THE ATLANTA
  • THE BERWIN
  • THE CLARIDGE
  • RALSTON COMMONS

Visual Identity

The brandmark, icons and color palette all bring to life the brand’s design principles: Resilient, Genuine, Down To Earth, Comfortable, Connected.

Brandmark

Defined by bold and refined lettering that hints at history, the Henry Street Apartments brandmark is characterized by a slight arch that evokes a sense of embrace and inclusion. We added the “established” year line to this brandmark to honor the site’s historic designation and create distinction as a housing renovation initiative.

Each of the buildings uses the same lettering and established date design as Henry Street Apartments, and for these we opted for a straight layout to create a clean and simple system.

These brandmarks are used on their own or with a bounding box.

Henry Street Aparments

Seal and Icons

Our design team created a full set of graphic elements, one for Henry Street Apartments, and one for each of the buildings. Our site tours found numerous architectural details that distinguished each building: stone embellishments, leaded glass windows, eve brackets and brickwork details all became graphic icons.

Henry Street Apartments has a distinctive seal that brings in “Detroit, Michigan” and the dates line into its circular design.

Each of the site’s buildings has a graphic icon inspired by a unique detail from that building. When used together with their brandmark, the buildings also use the bounding box as a common element they all share along with the lettering and date. These shared elements are balanced by the individual building names and unique graphic icon. Together they create a unified and dynamic set, just like the buildings they represent.

Henry Street Apartments logo with a seal illustration
  • Bretton Hall
  • Henry Flats
  • The Atlanta
  • Ralston Commons
  • The Berwin
  • The Claridge
  • The Grande

Color Palette

The color palette reflects the brand’s personality and the spirit of the community coming together at Henry Street Apartments. The primary palette is grounded in modern blues and gray, while the secondary palette pulls warm colors from the architecture itself.

the logo and rendering of the apartments on parameter fancing
cover of the brand identity guide book inner spread of the brand identity guide book branded t-shirts the grande logo on a glass door ralston commons logo on an interior wall henry flats logo painted on the outer wall
the logo and rendering of the apartments on parameter fancing
sample website mockup

Summary

Henry Street Apartments offers a unique opportunity to reinforce both Detroit’s working class history and its optimistic look to the future. Combining historic assets and a contemporary design approach creates a collective identity that also allows each building to maintain its own individuality. Henry Street Apartments is a city block that has lived generations of stories and will continue to inspire more—building community in the heart of it all.