Detroit-style pizza and New York thin-crust pizza are two of America’s most iconic regional pizza styles. They developed in very different eras, environments, and culinary traditions, resulting in almost opposite approaches to crust, shape, toppings, and eating style.
New York Thin-Crust Pizza – Origins and History
New York-style pizza grew out of Neapolitan pizza brought by Italian immigrants to New York City in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The traditional founding story credits Gennaro Lombardi, a Neapolitan immigrant, with opening Lombardi’s at 53½ Spring Street in Little Italy in 1905 — long marketed as America’s first licensed pizzeria. He (or employees) adapted Neapolitan techniques to American ingredients and larger appetites, baking in coal-fired ovens that reached very high temperatures. The result was a large, thin, hand-tossed pie with a crisp yet foldable crust, simple tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Whole pies were the norm at first; slices became common later as a cheap, portable lunch for workers. 
Recent historical research has complicated the “first pizzeria” claim. Records suggest earlier pizza-making activity in New York (possibly by Filippo Milone and others in the 1890s–early 1900s), and Gennaro Lombardi arrived in the U.S. only in late 1904. Still, Lombardi’s became the most famous early example and the symbolic birthplace of the New York style.
Key developments:
• 1920s: Former Lombardi employee Antonio “Totonno” Pero opens Totonno’s on Coney Island (1924). Other early coal-oven places (Patsy’s, John’s of Bleecker Street) follow.
• Mid-20th century: The “slice culture” explodes after World War II. Gas deck ovens become common, making by-the-slice service faster and more practical. Independent slice shops proliferate across the five boroughs.
• Postwar decades: New York-style becomes the default American pizza — large, foldable slices eaten on the street, thin crust that stays crisp, balanced sauce-to-cheese ratio.
The style emphasizes a thin, sturdy, foldable crust with a slight chew and char, typically cut into wide triangular slices.
Detroit-Style Pizza – Origins and History
Detroit-style pizza was invented much later, in 1946, at Buddy’s Rendezvous (later Buddy’s Pizza) on Detroit’s east side at Six Mile and Conant.
Owner Gus Guerra (with input from his wife Anna or longtime employee Connie Piccinato) wanted to add food to his former speakeasy/bar. Drawing on Sicilian sfincione traditions, they created a thick, airy, focaccia-like dough baked in rectangular/square blue steel pans. These pans were industrial automotive trays (made by Dover Parkersburg in the 1930s–40s) originally used as drip pans or to hold small parts and scrap metal in Detroit’s car factories. The heavy, high-sided steel pans produced a light, crispy crust with distinctive caramelized cheese edges (“frico”) where the cheese melted against the pan walls. 
Toppings were layered in reverse of most styles: cheese (often Wisconsin brick cheese) went down first and was pushed to the edges, followed by pepperoni pressed into the dough, then sauce ladled on top in stripes or “racing stripes” (the “red-top” look).
Key events and spread:
• 1946: First known square Detroit-style pizzas served at Buddy’s.
• 1953: Gus Guerra sells Buddy’s and opens Cloverleaf Bar & Restaurant in Eastpointe, continuing the style. Former Buddy’s pizza maker Louis Tourtois later opens Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park.
• Local chains (Jet’s, Shield’s, Luigi’s) adopt and refine the style.
• The term “Detroit-style” was rarely used until the 1980s; locals often just called it Sicilian or square pizza.
• 2010s national boom: The style explodes outside Michigan thanks to places like Emmy Squared (New York) and broader media attention. Major chains begin offering versions. National Detroit-Style Pizza Day is established on June 23 (starting 2021).
Detroit-style remains defined by its square shape, thick but airy crust, cheesy caramelized edges, and sauce-on-top presentation.