Woodward Avenue starts at an intersection with Jefferson Avenue next to Hart Plaza about from the Detroit River. The plaza is regarded as the birthplace of the Ford Motor Company, and it is located near Cobo Center and the Renaissance Center, headquarters for General Motors (GM). Woodward Avenue runs north-northwesterly away from the river through the heart of downtown Detroit and the Financial District. Along the way, it passes several important and historic sites, including notable buildings like One Woodward Avenue, the Guardian Building, and The Qube. Woodward also passes "The Spirit of Detroit", a statue used to symbolize the city. Further north, Woodward Avenue runs around Campus Martius Park and enters the Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District, a retail, commercial, and residential district listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). After that historic district, the avenue travels through the middle of Grand Circus Park; the northern edge of the park is bounded by Adams Avenue, where state maintenance begins.