02-06-2025
What was Detroit like in the 1960s? Take a look back in time.
It was the best of times — and the boiling point. In the 1960s, Detroit roared with the sounds of new muscle cars and the distinctive sounds of Motown.
Woodward Avenue was the glittering spine of the city, lined with movie theaters, shops and crowds. At Motown's Hitsville U.S.A., Berry Gordy was changing the sound of America, while downtown department stores like Hudson's remained bustling centers of fashion and community life.
But beneath the rhythm of those radio hits and the hum of the assembly line, tensions between police and the city's Black residents were brewing in the neighborhoods, ultimately leading to a deadly five-day uprising.
Take a look back at Detroit in the 1960s with our curated photo gallery, featuring images from the Free Press archives and beyond, capturing the city's highs, lows and everyday life during a decade that changed everything.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What was Detroit like in the 1960s? Photos take you back in time
