With their porch swings and bountiful front-yard gardens, the homes of the city’s Old West Side—just a short walk from downtown—welcome passersby to the heart of the Bach Elementary area, which boasts thirteen historic districts. Most homes are small Victorians built by 19th-century German immigrants. Many have been painstakingly restored. In exchange for some of the highest prices per square foot in the city, buyers get shady streets, houses with character, and a fabulous location.
Also served by Bach School (Ann Arborites say “Bah”) are the neighborhoods around downtown and the U-M campus, including the Old Fourth Ward Historic District. Increasingly gentrified, with rehabbed single-family homes as well as a growing collection of luxury condominiums, the area is also home to many well-worn student rentals. North of Miller, homes are set close to the sidewalk on narrow lots, with porch sitters, bike riders, and kids playing on the sidewalk. Long economically and racially mixed, this neighborhood has become less diverse as prices rise, but rentals remain available.
Farther south, single-family bungalows, small ranches, and a few story-and-a-halfs (most built after World War II) thread outward from Allmendinger Park, with its softball diamonds, playground, tennis and basketball courts, and picnic facilities. Lilacs line its perimeter.
This area also encompasses Michigan Stadium, and that means homeowners in the vicinity can make significant revenue offering parking in their driveways and yards during football season.
To the east, Bach extends past downtown all the way to the U-M Diag. The red-brick buildings of 207-unit Nob Hill, the old-timer among the area’s apartment complexes, fit comfortably into the neighborhood’s southern edge. Bordering the Old West Side and downtown sit the 68-unit Liberty Lofts condos, a tasteful conversion of a former auto parts plant.
Downtown student apartments are well represented here and are steadily creeping west. The new offerings are sprouting like bamboo. The nineteen-story Legacy near Michigan Theater, aiming for a fall 2025 opening, is downtown’s tallest building since the twenty-six-story Tower Plaza on E. William opened in 1969. There’s much more to come: Another ten student towers are proposed in Bach and other neighborhoods touching Central Campus.
On S. Main is Ashley Mews, which has condos modeled after traditional brownstones, a central courtyard, and underground parking; another 120 units are promised for the adjacent sixteen-story tower vacated by DTE Energy. Many high-end condos in this area are also still in the works, including a seven-unit boutique condo building at 212 Miller; 330 Detroit St., which sits on the triangular block formed by Detroit St., Fifth Ave., and Catherine St., boasts fifteen luxury units. A thirty-seven-unit mid-rise condo has been proposed to replace Braun Ct. across from the Farmers Market; next door, the affordable Dunbar Tower will soon add sixty-three subsidized units.
Bach School also serves the triangle bounded by S. Main, Eisenhower, and Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. Residents of the 306-unit Woodland Mews flats and townhouses (which include both owner-occupied condos and rental units) can walk to Busch’s supermarket and Whole Foods—or to a game at U-M’s soccer stadium.
Bach grads go on to Slauson Middle School, but some on the northern edge can choose Forsythe Middle School. Those who live north of Huron attend Skyline High; the rest go to Pioneer High.
Bike lanes: The city’s protected bike lane on William connects the west side with the university. On the west side, Liberty has a bike lane, Seventh has one northbound (the Bach side), and wide Washington is a suggested route.
Walking: Bach School’s Walk Score is 86, and that’s probably one of the lower scores within the school’s zoning boundaries. Downtown residents are just a few minutes’ walk from the Farmers Market, the People’s Food Co-op, Zingerman’s Deli, and Kerrytown Market & Shops, and almost every corner of this neighborhood has retail nearby.