QLINE / Stop 9 of 12
QLINE stopFerry Street
Two curbside platforms · the QLINE’s museum stop
The QLINE’s museum stop in the Cultural Center: the Detroit Institute of Arts with Diego Rivera’s frescoes, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Main Library and the historic houses of East Ferry Avenue.
Live GPS positions
- Platforms
- two curbside platforms
- District
- Midtown, Cultural Center
- From Congress Street
- 20 min
- From Grand Boulevard
- 4 min
- Sponsor in 2017
- FCA (now Stellantis)
01 / Story
The stop’s story
The official QLINE site recommends Ferry as its “Art, Culture & History” stop, and there’s no better description. To the east is the Detroit Institute of Arts: Paul Philippe Cret’s white marble palace was dedicated on October 7, 1927, and its central court is wrapped in Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry frescoes, painted in 1932 and 1933. To the west stands the Detroit Historical Museum, opened on July 24, 1951, the 250th anniversary of Detroit’s founding, next to the Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert.
Rivera’s frescoes were commissioned by Edsel Ford; the two main walls show workers at Ford’s River Rouge plant, and since 2014 the murals have been a National Historic Landmark. In June 2024 the QLINE’s cars were wrapped for the Kresge Foundation’s 100th anniversary, tied to its exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum right by the stop.
The stop’s first headline wasn’t glorious: on July 24, 2017 a Jeep turned into a streetcar at Woodward and Ferry, leaving only cosmetic damage. The Ferry stop was sponsored in 2017 by FCA, today’s Stellantis.
- The Detroit Institute of Arts and Diego Rivera’s frescoes
- The Detroit Historical Museum
- The Main Library designed by Cass Gilbert
- The historic houses of East Ferry Avenue
02 / From the window
What you see from here
On your right the Detroit Institute of Arts, and toward Farnsworth Street the Scarab Club artists’ club; on your left the Detroit Historical Museum. East along the cross street, East Ferry Avenue is lined with historic houses, among them the former home of art collector Charles Lang Freer.
03 / Timeline
The stop’s timeline
The DIA building is dedicated
Paul Philippe Cret’s white marble palace on Woodward.
Rivera’s frescoes
Diego Rivera paints the Detroit Industry murals.
The Historical Museum opens
On the 250th anniversary of Detroit’s founding.
National Historic Landmark
Rivera’s frescoes are named a National Historic Landmark.
The stop opens
The stop is sponsored by FCA, today’s Stellantis.
The first notable crash
A Jeep turns into a streetcar at Ferry.
Kresge 100
Anniversary wraps on the cars and an exhibit at the Historical Museum.
The streetcar stops here every fifteen minutes, free of charge.
04 / Did you know?
Did you know?
A 2014 appraisal valued the DIA’s collection at up to $8.1 billion.
The Detroit Historical Museum grew from the collection of attorney and historian Clarence M. Burton, who gave it to the city library in 1914.
The 701-meter wired section from Hancock Street ends at Ferry Street; farther north you’ll only see short stretches of wire, such as the one above the Amsterdam Street stop.
A closer look
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-26
Every fact is sourced. Where sources disagree (the number of stops, the weight of the cars or the construction cost, for example) we follow the primary, official source and say so in the text. The timetable comes from the QLINE’s official GTFS data and live positions from the RTA’s feed.
- QLINE – On the Line ↗
- City of Detroit Open Data – QLine Stops ↗
- QLINE – Plan your ride (archived 2017) ↗
- M-1 RAIL – QLINE Annual Report 2024 (PDF) ↗
- City of Detroit Open Data – QLine M1 OnWire ↗
- Crain’s, 2017-07-24 – QLine streetcar damaged in minor accident (archived) ↗
- Wikipedia – Detroit Institute of Arts ↗
- Wikipedia – Detroit Industry Murals ↗
- Wikipedia – Detroit Historical Museum ↗
- Wikipedia – Detroit Public Library ↗
- Wikipedia – East Ferry Avenue Historic District ↗
- Wikipedia – Scarab Club ↗
05 / Nearby
Places within walking distance
Quarter Detroit places around the stop, with straight-line distances.
3 min walk · 163 mDetroit Historical MuseumOld streets, factory stories, and musical memories bring Detroit’s past within reach.
3 min walk · 201 mCommon Pub DetroitPub and restaurant on Wayne State's campus that doubles as a queer-friendly Midtown hangout, with Drag Race watch parties and drag brunches.
4 min walk · 270 mDetroit Institute of ArtsDiego Rivera’s monumental murals, celebrated artists, and a museum where Detroit’s own story comes into view.
5 min walk · 277 mDetroit Public Library — Main LibraryReading rooms, murals, and marble stairs make Detroit’s Main Library an architectural destination.- 5 min walk · 301 mRainbow Movie Night – Wayne State UniversityQueer film nights run by Wayne State's Center for Gender and Sexuality at the campus Community Arts Auditorium, sometimes with a drag show.
8 min walk · 502 mMichigan Science CenterHands-on experiments, live demonstrations, and scientific discovery make this a rewarding family stop.
9 min walk · 554 mCharles H. Wright Museum of African American HistoryAfrican American history, art, and community memory in Detroit’s cultural district.
9 min walk · 554 mGeneral Motors Theater at the Charles H. Wright Museum (The Wright Performances)The theater inside the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Midtown, home of The Wright Performances. The 2026–27 series brings PHILADANCO!, jessica Care moore, Meshell Ndegeocello and David Rousseve.
Around the stop, from the official QLINE list and the map
- Detroit Historical Museum 2 min
Detroit’s story since 1951, from cobblestone streets to the auto assembly line.
- East Ferry Avenue 2 min
Two blocks of historic homes, including the Hecker and Freer houses.
- Detroit Institute of Arts 4 min
More than a hundred galleries, Diego Rivera’s frescoes and one of the country’s great collections.
- Detroit Public Library 4 min
The Main Library in Vermont marble, in Italian Renaissance style.
- Scarab Club 6 min
An artists’ club, gallery and studios on Farnsworth Street, near the DIA.
06 / Events
Events near the stop
Upcoming events at venues around the stop.
Sep 26, 2026, 2:00 PMHola Frida: an animated tale of young Frida Kahlo at the Detroit Film Theatre
Detroit Institute of Arts · 4 min walkThe Detroit Film Theatre screens Hola Frida on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 2 p.m., a colorful animated film about Frida Kahlo's childhood in Coyoacán. Stuck in bed with polio, young Frida finds her way out through imagination and art. It runs 82 minutes, in English and Spanish, and it's made for all ages, so bring the kids. Find it at 5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit.
Oct 2, 2026, 7:00 PMThe Samurai and the Prisoner: Kiyoshi Kurosawa's castle mystery at the Detroit Film Theatre
Detroit Institute of Arts · 4 min walkA besieged castle in 16th-century Japan, a string of mysterious crimes and a dangerous prisoner in the dungeon. The Detroit Film Theatre screens Kiyoshi Kurosawa's new drama The Samurai and the Prisoner on Friday, October 2, 2026, at 7 p.m.. It played the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and is a New York Times Critic's Pick. In Japanese with English subtitles, 147 minutes, at 5200 Woodward Avenue, Detroit.