Residents of 'quiet and peaceful' Lafayette Park on edge after Woll slaying

Residents of the well-known leafy, glass-fronted residential development where a local synagogue leader was slain over the weekend were still reeling Monday, calling it a peaceful place where crime is unusual.

Designed by Mies van der Rohe and designated a National Historic Landmark, Lafayette Park is recognized all over the globe as the largest collection of residential buildings designed by Mies.

More:Police ID several 'possible persons of interest' in stabbing death of synagogue leader

But after Samantha Woll's death, some residents said they were in shock. At least two who've lived in the neighborhood for decades but declined to give to their names said they knew of car theft in the parking lot, but no other incidents recently. A couple in the neighborhood reportedly told police about finding two tires of their car slashed when they returned home. Detroit police Chief James White said Monday during a media update into Woll's death, “We certainly will look in to it. I don’t know if it’s connected but we’ll look into it.”

Some said the crime has affected their sense of safety. One said she's worried about working late at night or early in the morning.

Another said she's always felt more safe in the community because the units have floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

Charles Bell, 49, has lived for more than a year in an apartment building near the Lafayette Park townhouse. He called the neighborhood "quiet and peaceful," and walks through the co-op several times a week, saying his common route passes where Woll was killed on Joliet Place.

He questioned the motive for killing Woll, "especially if she was a peacemaker," he said. He wondered if the person responsible for the homicide had been watching Woll or following her into the neighborhood.

"These days, you get it (crime) so much. Hate to say, it's just becoming a part of the every day thing," Bell said.

Started in 1956 and completed in stages through the 1960s, Lafayette Park is considered one of America's most successful post-World War II urban redevelopment projects, according to the Detroit Historical Society.

Located east of the Chrysler Freeway and bounded by Rivard Street, Lafayette Avenue, Orleans Street and Antietam Street, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It sits on 46 acres and includes three distinct sections, including 21 multiple-unit townhomes and a high-rise apartment building on the west side; Lafayette Park, 13 acres of greenery, recreation facilities, and a school; and twin apartment towers and a shopping center to the east, according to the historical society.

Voting records show Woll had lived in one of Lafayette Park's townhouses since 2021.