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1952 Map of Royal Oak

Name: 1952 Topographic Map of Royal Oak
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1954
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1954

About this map

Detroit Zoological Park sits at the heart of this post-war landscape, marking the transition from the dense urban grid of Detroit and Ferndale into the expanding suburban communities of Royal Oak and Berkley. The map documents a significant era of transit and development, defined by the major arteries of Northwestern Highway and Eight Mile Road. The southern portion is heavily industrial and residential, featuring the Grand Trunk Western RR corridor and institutional landmarks like Duns Scotus College and Sinai Hospital.

Tracing the border between Oakland and Wayne counties, this survey reveals the dense placement of neighborhood schools such as Hamilton Sch and Whittier Sch, along with numerous religious and memorial sites including Woodlawn Cemetery and Evergreen Cem. The western reaches near Southfield show slightly more open space around the River Rouge, yet even here, the rapid expansion of the early 1950s is evident in the burgeoning street plans of Lathrup and Bonnie Acres.