Signature Exhibitions
America’s Motor City
The America’s Motor City exhibition tells the fascinating stories of both how cars built metro Detroit and how metro Detroit built cars, as well as why Detroit became the Motor City. The exhibit incorporates the museum’s popular Automotive Showplace...
Detroit 67: Perspectives
Second place honors from the 2019 Best in Heritage competition Winner of the 2018 National Medal from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the 2018 Leadership in History Award from the American Association for State and Local...
Detroit: The "Arsenal of Democracy"
In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt urged the United States to become the “arsenal of democracy,” arming democratic nations against the looming totalitarian threats of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. It took ingenuity and perseverance under...
Doorway to Freedom – Detroit and the Underground Railroad
Detroit was a pivotal part of the Underground Railroad, an informal network of safe houses and people willing to help runaway enslaved people. They adapted the language of the railroads to keep it secret. Hiding places — often taverns, homes and...
Legends Plaza
Detroit’s rich heritage lies with the men and women who’ve always called Detroit “home,” even as they went on to help shape our nation’s cultural landscape. We cheered their accomplishments on the field, welcomed them into our lives through...
Meier’s Wonderful Clock
It took Louis Meier, Sr. twelve years to build his clock. Its hand-carved mahogany base, detailed glass clock face and intricate mechanisms made it a Detroit marvel when it debuted in his jewelry store at East Grand Boulevard and Gratiot Avenue in...
Motor City Music
Adjacent to the Allesee Gallery of Culture, visitors find the Motor City Music exhibition — an interactive, participatory space that explores the rich legacy of Detroit’s music from Gospel to Motown and all things in between. As visitors enter the...
Origins: Life Where the River Bends
Origins: Life Where the River Bends is a story of many Detroit beginnings. It invites guests to explore the lives and events that have shaped - and been shaped by - the area on the river now called Detroit. This region’s First People called it...
Streets of Old Detroit
The Detroit Historical Museum’s most beloved signature exhibit, located on the lower level, is undoubtedly the Streets of Old Detroit. Step into Detroit’s past and experience the city’s dramatic transformation from rural frontier town to industrial...
The Allesee Gallery of Culture
Imagine hearing the unmistakable sound of a baseball meeting the full force of Hall of Famer Al Kaline’s bat at Tiger Stadium. Imagine feeling the thrill as the solid, brass-colored elevator doors slowly opening onto the 12th floor of downtown...
The Glancy Trains
A crowd favorite for years, The Glancy Trains are from the collection of Alfred R. Glancy Jr. (1908–1973), real estate financier and former-owner of the Empire State Building in New York City. During the 1950s and 1960s, Mr. Glancy enjoyed hosting “...
