Opened in 2005 and reporting to the Office of the Provost, the facility accommodates research projects and outreach initiatives while also offering space for an increasing number of University programs involving Detroit citizens and organizations. The facility includes offices and space for meetings, exhibitions, lectures, collaborative work, and more while serving as a home base for students and faculty working on projects in Detroit.

“The University of Michigan was founded in Detroit in 1817, and we have remained committed and connected to this city,” said U-M President Mary Sue Coleman, in introducing the center to the Detroit community. “Providing a home for our many Detroit projects in the heart of the city’s cultural center makes us far more visible and accessible and enables us to be a part of its revitalization. We look forward to the way this center will strengthen the partnership between U-M and Detroiters.”

The U-M Detroit Center stands at the confluence of the Anne Parsons Street and Woodward Avenue corridors. The nearby area includes other educational institutions such as Wayne State University, Michigan State University Detroit Center, and the College for Creative Studies, as well as cultural resources like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Science Center, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History.