Saturday, February 11

10 a.m.

“Detroit’s largest art object” and “The Fisher Brothers’ gift to the city of the Detroit” are phrases that have been used to describe the Fisher Building.

Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989, the Fisher Building features a 28-story set-back Art Deco tower. The interior is bisected by a 44 foot high barrel vaulted arcade and every inch is opulently decorated with bronze, gold leaf, and more than 40 types of exotic marbles mined

in quarries in Africa, Italy, and Carthage, Missouri. Sold to a real-estate firm in 1974 by the three remaining Fisher Brothers, the Fisher Building continues to be a meticulously maintained and fully occupied Art Deco jewel, a symbol of the change and prosperity the automobile brought to

Detroit.

Ellen Howell’s knowledge of the architectural details and stories make this an unforgettable tour!

Tickets:

$20 members

$30 guests

This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.

NOTE: The Behind the Scenes tour scheduled for Saturday, February 18 is SOLD OUT, but tickets for an additional tour on Saturday, March 3 are now available.  See below for more information.

The Traffic Jam and Snug was established in 1965. By 1992 it was deemed the first brew-pub in the state of Michigan. Known throughout Midtown for their in-house bakery, microbrewery, and dairy, their curiously intimate multi-level dining rooms, and an eclectic menu of made-from-scratch dishes, there is simply nothing quite like The Traffic Jam, truly one of Detroit’s hidden treasures.

This tour will allow you the unique opportunity to explore the kitchens and see where their award-winning cheeses and beers are crafted, using the same equipment for both processes. In addition, you’ll get to sample some of their freshly made food for lunch!

Tickets:

$30 members

$40 guests

Due to popular demand, we will repeat this tour on Saturday, March 3 at 10 a.m. 

CLICK HERE for tickets to the March 3 tour or call (313)833.1801 for additional information.

Saturday, February 25

10 a.m.

While many of Detroit’s institutions have come and gone, the Detroit Athletic Club remains a rock-solid force in the city where it was born, providing a center for community leadership and a focal point around which many important decisions have been made. Spanning three centuries,

the Detroit Athletic Club has been, and remains, a Detroit original.

On this tour, guests will have access to the club, a wealth of information about its various works of art, and the chance to explore the club with Kenneth Katz, founder of Conservation and Museum Services.

Tickets:

$35 members

$45 guests

 
This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.

Friday, March 2

10 a.m.

Meadow Brook Hall was built during the country place era, a time when wealthy American industrialists pursued rural life in settings of great beauty. It represents one of the finest examples of Tudor-revival style architecture in America and is especially renowned for its superb craftsmanship, architectural detailing and grand scale of 88,000 square feet. Inspired by the country manor homes in England, it was designed and built by the Detroit architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls between 1926 and 1929 at a cost of nearly $4 million.

Carefully preserved with original family furnishings and art, the 110-room mansion is elaborately detailed with carved wood and stone, ornate plaster ceilings, Tiffany stained glass, custom made hardware, and is filled with fine and decorative art.

Tickets:

$20 members

$30 guests

 
This tour is SOLD OUT! For waitlist information,  call (313) 833-1801.

Saturday, March 10

10 a.m.

The Detroit Boat Club, which traces its roots back to 1839, may be the oldest, continuously-run rowing club in the world. After several wooden structures had burned to the ground, the Club asked Alpheus W. Chittenden, an architect born in Detroit, to build a structure that could withstand fire. When the current boathouse was dedicated on August 4, 1902, it was the first concrete structure in the United States.  

In 1991, the city of Detroit announced that the rental fee for the property on which the clubhouse stood was to be raised from $1 a year to $100,000 a year. Unable to make up the difference, the Club filed for bankruptcy. In 1996, Club members voted to move out of the city. The Detroit Rowing Club began using the building in 2000. Since 2001, they have begun modestly refurbishing it in order to maintain the stability of a structure so entrenched in the history of Detroit.

Tickets:

$20 members

$30 guests

 
This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.

Thursday, March 15

10 a.m.

Construction began on the Detroit Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse in April 1932 and was completed in March 1934. Along with marble floors and intricate hand paintings, there are 24 courtrooms inside, six of which are historic. One, known as the “Million Dollar Courtroom” due to its original cost in the 1890s, was painstakingly disassembled when the original courthouse was demolished and reassembled in the current building, where it is still in use today.

The building also features several ornamental bas-relief sculptural groupings created by noted Detroit architectural modeler Corrado Joseph Parducci, who designed the sculptural panels and medallions to depict various agencies and activities of the federal government at the time. On May 1, 1995, the courthouse was designated the Theodore Levin United States Courthouse.

Tickets:

$20 members

$30 guests

This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.

Saturday, March 24

Noon

This tour takes you into Foran’s Grand Trunk Pub, which has been a jewelry store, railroad ticket office, and possibly home to Harry Houdini’s magic shop in its long and well-storied past.

Enjoy brunch in the newly renovated pub at the conclusion of the tour. The pub is a Michigan historical landmark and a truly unique destination.

Tickets:

$25 members

$35 guests

This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.

March 31

10 a.m.

In 1987, The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press entered into a Joint Operating Agreement whereby the papers combined business operations but maintain separate editorial staffs. Each paper now publishes separate editions six days a week, and a Sunday Free Press with a separate News editorial page. See where the stories you read take shape as you tour the building in which both The Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press journalists and editors work!

Tickets:
$20 - Society members
$30 - Guests

This tour is SOLD OUT!  For waitlist information, call (313) 833-1801.