The Art for God’s Sake team considered 7 different sites. Together with neighborhood leaders, they chose the southeast corner of Belmont and John R. Community feedback provided this list of top wants:

► large dog & small dog areas

► places to sit

► water & cleaning supplies

► a maintenance plan

► good/quiet location & parking

► not disruptive to homeowners, and

► ‘sooner rather than later’

At this point, Rose Dog Park on Trumbull in Detroit became a model to imitate.

Art for God’s Sake at the Cathedral partnered with Holy Paws LLC to make development, operation, construction, and maintenance plans. As all phases of production moved forward, collaborators included:

► Gateway Community

► Belmont Avenue Block Club

► Boston-Edison Historic District Association

► East Boston-Arden Park Block Club

► Michigan Humane

► Chicago Boulevard East Block Club

► Midtown Development

► Vanguard Community Development

► North End Woodward Community Coalition (Rev. Joan Ross)

► Stafford House (Patricia Dockery)

► Evan & Gianna Fay, owners of adjacent property and of Develop Motorcity

► The Greening of Detroit

► And at least 3 dozen individuals who have asked to stay connected.

We broke ground in October 2024 and plan a special Grand Opening with Pet Blessing on October 4, 2025. Future installments include benches, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, and helpful signage.