History of the Woodward

Restaurateurs William Cartwright and Thomas Duncan of DunWright Development have teamed up to open a new restaurant called The Woodward in Downtown Detroit. The Woodward Restaurant is located at 1040 Woodward in the first floor of the Compuware Building.

The Woodward’s interior reflects the 1807 streetscape of the Woodward Avenue Plan created after the great fire of 1805. Cartwright, a native Detroiter, says it is symbolic that, “a fire destroyed Detroit in 1805 and the city started rebuilding in 1806, and here we are exactly 200 years later doing the same thing.”

Every detail of the 4,177-square-foot restaurant, including the hardwood floors and patterned carpet, is reminiscent of the main thoroughfares from the 1807 plan. The interior design is meant to reflect the city’s street pattern, there is even a bar area that represents Grand Circus Park. Menu items reflect on Detroit’s history, with dishes such as the Kern’s Clock Burger.

The Woodward also has several unique interior features. There are nine handmade lights from the Netherlands located on each custom booth, modular art panels surrounding the restaurant with blue neon lights glowing on them, representing our surrounding Great Lakes, planters made out of stones from China, and a planter with three 4 by 8 glass panels with real money plant leaves.