Bird Hills Park was a farm and part of a whole deal. The developers got their condo development and 30 acres, and the City got Bird Hills Park, or the first big chunk of it. That's why if you walk in the woods you see concrete animal troughs, apple orchards, and other farm stuff. The trail on the river side of DownUp Circle leading into the woods was where they led the cows to pasture. Parts of the fence are still there.

 

This kind of information might interest future owners.

 

It would be great to include a little of the history of Newport Road and the now abandoned little village of Newport - roughly where Foster Bridge crosses the river. There were several mills using water power.  Newport Road was a dirt road that led to downtown Ann Arbor for deliveries to and from the mills. That's why it has such twists and turns and is so narrow.  Horse & buggy stuff.

 

The 30 acre Twining property was added to Bird Hills Park.  The Twining  property immediately adjoins present Newport West. Adding it to the park enhanced and protected the value of every unit in Newport West.

The original owner of all the combined land was a man named Grey.  It was a farm and his descendants lived in the yellow brick home at the northern Downup entrance. I won't bore you with details, but I would be happy to work with anyone and share them to create a history section.  

Mary Joscelyn and I were co-chairs of the committee that facilitated that purchase. She may have original information as well. My file includes photos of Newport West under construction and the "deal" the developers of Newport West made with the city, especially Guy Larcom, the city administrator, to develop the complex. Ann Arbor's renowned David Osler was the architect. The ar Many of the folks who participated became co-owners in Newport West, including Guy Larcom and his lovely wife. One of the prime movers in the developers group was Dick Woods, who lived across from us on Newport Road.  Sadly, he later committed suicide.

Bird Hills Park was purchased to make the entire area a development, like Barton Hills was then being developed. Grey came to love the land, and planted many of the trees still in the park, which all morphed eventually into the charming area it is, a wilderness park area and a beautifully designed condo complex spaciously generous with the land.

                                                                                                                        Don Kenney