Lakewoodhenge

The Story of Lakewoodhenge

Lakewoodhenge began the way a lot of good Lakewood ideas do: over wine at Rozi's, on Detroit Avenue, among friends who had drifted onto the subject of Manhattanhenge, those few evenings each year when the setting sun slots itself exactly between New York's cross streets and the city turns, briefly and expensively, to gold.

The question that followed was the kind that survives a second glass: Why not here? Lakewood has long, straight streets, a downtown with opinions, and sunsets that need no introduction. Nobody at the table mistook Detroit Avenue for Forty-second Street. That was rather the point.

The geometry, as it happens, is on Lakewood's side. Madison, and Detroit from Bunts Road west, run within a degree or two of due west, so the sun lines up with them near the equinoxes. On Detroit, that's between March 13th and 23rd, and again from September 19th to 29th, at around seven-thirty in the evening (an hour earlier on March 13th, before the clocks spring forward). Madison follows suit on March 20th and September 22nd. Early risers, facing east, get their turn around March 17th and September 26th.

The trees and storefronts claim the last sliver of sun, so those in the know go a few days after the March date, or a few days before the September one.

Lakewoodhenge, like the city, belongs to whoever shows up. Find an east-west street, wait for the light, take a picture, note where you stood, and send it along. The best finds go on the list. See you in March.

Where & When to See It

Stand at one of these spots and look straight down the street: west for a sunset, east for a sunrise. The streets bend a little from block to block, so each spot has its own dates. Each date is when the sun lines up best there, and a day either side is still close. The busiest stretches are the two Lakewoodhenge Weeks: March 15–23 and September 19–27, 2027.

Detroit Avenue east to west

1. At Cohassett Avenue

   Sunrise, looking eastMar 6 · 6:55 AMOct 7 · 7:31 AM

   By the brick building with the blue “PHOTO” awning.

2. Near Waterbury Road

   Sunrise, looking eastMar 6 · 6:55 AMOct 7 · 7:31 AM
   Sunset, looking westApr 1 · 7:50 PMSep 10 · 7:43 PM

   About 80 m west of Waterbury, toward Elbur Avenue.

3. At Bunts Road

   Sunrise, looking eastMar 17 · 7:37 AMSep 26 · 7:19 AM
   Sunset, looking westMar 21 · 7:38 PMSep 21 · 7:24 PM

4. At New Life Church, 14224 Detroit

   Sunset, looking westMar 17 · 7:34 PMSep 25 · 7:18 PM

   Between Bunts Road and Marlowe Avenue.

5. At Marlowe Avenue

   Sunset, looking westMar 18 · 7:35 PMSep 24 · 7:19 PM

6. At Belle Avenue

   Sunset, looking westMar 13 · 6:29 PMSep 29 · 7:11 PM

   March 13 is the night before the clocks spring forward, hence the early time.

7. At Warren Road

   Sunset, looking westMar 15 · 7:32 PMSep 27 · 7:14 PM

   Just west of the intersection.

8. At Mars Avenue

   Sunset, looking westMar 19 · 7:36 PMSep 23 · 7:21 PM

9. At Westwood Avenue

   Sunset, looking westMar 23 · 7:41 PMSep 19 · 7:28 PM

   Just west of Lakeland Avenue.

Madison Avenue east to west

1. At Lewis Drive

   Sunrise, looking eastMar 18 · 7:35 AMSep 25 · 7:18 AM
   Sunset, looking westMar 20 · 7:37 PMSep 22 · 7:23 PM

   About 100 m east of the Lewis Drive signal.

2. At Bunts Road

   Sunset, looking westMar 20 · 7:37 PMSep 22 · 7:23 PM

Lakewood Public Library 15425 Detroit

1. Sun on the library roof

   Sunset, looking westMar 16 · 7:23 PMSep 26 · 7:06 PM

   Stand at Detroit and St Charles Avenue and look west about 500 m to the library on the south side of the street. The sun sinks onto its roofline about 10 minutes before sunset.

2. Sun under the entrance overhang

   Sunset, looking westMar 22–26 · 7:26–7:32 PMSep 17–21 · 7:13–7:17 PM

   Between Mars and Arthur Avenues. Crouch on the south sidewalk just east of the entrance and look west along the front of the building. Check first that open sky shows beneath the overhang from there.

Watch from the sidewalk or a corner, never from the roadway.

Submit Your Lakewoodhenge

Caught the sun lined up with a Lakewood street? Send us your photos and tell us when and where you took them. We'll work out the dates for your spot and add the best finds to the list.