The Detroit Farmers Market may be the last remaining timber frame market in any major American city. It was discovered by the Henry Ford museum when they were notified that the city of Detroit was planning to demolish the once resplendent Belle Isle Riding Academy. Research done by Alex Pollock & Jim McCabe, Curator of Buildings at Greenfield Village, revealed a history of its having originally stood on Cadillac Square as an open air market built in 1860. Its relocation in 1894 to Belle Isle saved it from demolition until 2003 when Christian & Son, Inc. teamed up with West Shore Services of Allendale, MI to dismantle the building using "relational documentation" to create an interactive inventory model of its 793 timber members. Although the structure had been severely neglected in recent years, it proved extremely worthy of preservation. The market will be reconstructed at Greenfield Village.

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