In late 2018, the community surrounding the Detroit Steps in the Sunnyside neighborhood decided to make a change and improve their neighborhood.The Detroit Steps are a set of two stairs, an upper and lower section, that have been the center for redevelopment for the Sunnyside neighborhood and recently hosted a contest to design the stairs as a monument for art.

The stairs consist of 186 stairs and a two-block stairway that runs from Detroit and Hearst to Detroit and Joost, where it is also bisected by Monterey Boulevard.

According to the Sunnyside Association website, the Detroit Steps Project first began development in 2019 where they redeveloped the local lighting and landscaping.

Beginning last year, the quarantine affected everyone and social distance became the new norm, which brought problems up for everyone. Although problems arose with public safety, the Sunnyside Association was able to find a way to help beautify the Detroit Steps while not having to gather in masses to help.

The contest lasted from Nov. 22 through Dec. 6, and more than 50 contestants entered. There were nine winners and after speaking to Taylor Hughes, a software engineer and the brains behind the Detroit Steps Project website, he said, “We are going to try to find a way to get an artist to incorporate all of the winners into the final product for the stairs.”

The beautification project has been a multi-year process and will probably not get finished until the next few years. San Francisco has been a hotspot for beautification as of late, with sites such as Diego Rivera art mural in City College of San Francisco receiving a makeover.

Rosaura Valle, the lead director of the Detroit Steps Project, said, “ The Project began as a Sunnyside neighborhood association project because the community had wanted to improve and beautify the steps because they were a neglected sight in the neighborhood.”

The renovation and refurbishment of places in our communities is an important step to building better communities that we can be proud of and show the ingenuity of our community.

UPDATE: The Glen Park News published a story about the grant on their website.