New York-based firm SO – IL and multidisciplinary design firm OSD (Office of Strategy + Design) are transforming an industrial marina into an artistic hub as part of Detroit’s growing cultural renaissance.
Called Stanton Yards, the project will repurpose a 13-acre marina, with plans calling for more than 80,000 square feet of commercial and creative spaces, 85 boat slips, and scenic waterfront parks. Facilities within the historic site include a WWII-era U.S. Navy shipyard, a former theater, marina showrooms, and service shops, all of which will be readapted as cultural amenities.
OSD is tasked with crafting a master plan for the site, integrating existing structures with new a waterfront restaurant and office building. Sustainability and cultural enrichment are at the forefront of the design, with a focus on reconnecting the community with the riverfront. To draw visitors from the city to the river, new facades along Jefferson Avenue will create a porous entryway to the waterfront where guests can explore and play.
"The ethos that 'new ideas must use old buildings' guides our transformation of Stanton Yards into a thriving, multifaceted community,” says Florian Idenburg, co-founding principal of SO – IL. “Revitalizing these old structures catalyzes innovation and creativity, transforming the site into an incubator for fresh ideas. In the spaces between, we envision a platform for diverse community-focused programming.”
The project is part of a broader effort among creative types to revitalize Motor City as a major arts-and-culture destination. This is evident in Little Village, a neighborhood redeveloped as a hub of cultural spaces, affordable housing, parks, and hospitality services. What was a collection of vacant buildings is now a vibrant block anchored by The Shepherd, a 110-year-old church repurposed as an art gallery. Stanton Yards is an expansion of Little Village, a project spearheaded by Anthony and JJ Curis, co-founders of the downtown art gallery Library Street Collective.
The Curises shared their vision for Stanton Yards, saying that the project is “an extension of the community-based principles we’ve applied to other cultural developments in Little Village. The adaptive reuse will breathe new life into a series of maritime buildings while transforming the storage-based marina into a public asset on the waterfront.”
For his part, Simon David, OSD principal, believes Stanton Yards is poised to become a dynamic public space, offering a blend of arts, recreation, and ecological experiences, noting that the project is “designed from the outside-in, merging nature, structures, and new buildings, seamlessly uniting the community with the waterfront.”
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