07/24/2026
A building at 3600 West Vernor that has been vacant for over 15 years will be rehabilitated into four apartments and a social lounge on the ground floor. It was known for many years as La Norteña and is included in the new Latinx National Register Historic District nominated by HDAB staff and officially listed by the National Park Service in January 2026. Developers Tanya Saldivar- Ali and Luis Ali held a groundbreaking last week attended by the mayor, many city and state officials and community members, including Angela Gallegos and Osvaldo Rivera (who serves on the Historic Designation Advisory Board), both of whom assisted HDAB with the successful district nomination. Tanya and Luis’ project reflects their families’ long-time commitment to Southwest Detroit. In fact, Tanya’s mother, Giovanna Apolloni ~ Rodriguez, in 1973 purchased the building at 3535-3537 West Vernor to open Giovanna’s Lounge, which for more than fifty years was a favorite neighborhood destination. Now Tanya and Luis hope the nearby revised Norteña will serve as the next neighborhood favorite gathering place!
This rehab is one of two project receiving support from the bipartisan Revitalization and Placemaking (RAP) program and Build MI Community (BMC) Grant initiative through the State. The funding aims to expand housing and commercial spaces. More details here: https://www.michiganbusiness.org/press-releases/2026/03/two-redevelopment-projects-in-detroit/.
