Community investments underway as campus plans advance toward spring 2027 groundbreaking

One year after announcing a historic recommitment to invest in Detroit neighborhoods and consolidate its offices to the Marygrove Conservancy campus in Northwest Detroit, The Kresge Foundation today shared significant progress on the initiative, including an expanded campus scope and plans for continued investments in neighborhood priorities shaped by residents and community partners.

Since the project was introduced in September 2025, plans for the Marygrove campus and investments in surrounding neighborhoods have become more clearly defined through extensive collaboration with campus partners, neighborhood residents and community stakeholders.

“Over the past year, residents, campus partners, students and neighbors have helped shape a vision for this project that strengthens Marygrove as a community asset, invests in the long-term well-being of surrounding neighborhoods and creates a Kresge facility designed to serve the public as well as our staff,” said Kresge President and CEO Rip Rapson. “Today’s update reflects what we have learned through the collaborative process and the ways those ideas are shaping the campus and neighborhood investments.”

Groundbreaking Scheduled for Spring 2027

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2027, with completion anticipated in 2029. The project will include the foundation’s new office facility as well as infrastructure and landscape improvements across the 53-acre Marygrove campus. These improvements are designed to enhance access, connectivity, recreation and environmental sustainability across the campus.

Expanded Vision for Marygrove Campus

Planning efforts conducted alongside the Marygrove Conservancy have refined a comprehensive vision for the campus. Landscape architecture firm Hood Design Studio is leading the landscape design effort, which introduces gardens, lawns, groves, pathways and gathering areas for students, educators, campus residents and neighbors alike. The designs incorporate stormwater management and retention features to strengthen climate resilience across the campus.

At the center of the plan is a new campus quad designed as a place for students and campus residents to gather and connect. The space will also accommodate special events and community celebrations.

The plan includes significant improvements to pedestrian circulation and campus access, including a more welcoming campus entrance along McNichols Road, new pathways and pedestrian-oriented design features to better connect it with surrounding neighborhoods.

New recreational amenities are also planned, including an upper elementary playground and a basketball court on the east side of campus. Plans also call for reconfiguring an athletic field for recreational sports and informal play.

“These improvements reflect our commitment to creating a campus that serves people across every stage of life and learning,” said Tom Lewand, CEO of the Marygrove Conservancy. “From new gathering spaces and recreational amenities to intentional pedestrian connections and climate-resilient landscapes, these enhancements will strengthen the daily experience of everyone who learns, works, and visits Marygrove and will ensure the campus remains a welcoming and vibrant community asset for generations to come.”

Kresge Facility Designed as a Community Asset 

Plans for Kresge’s future workspace continue to advance under the leadership of design architect Diller Scofidio + Renfro, with Hannah-Neumann/Smith serving as local architect of record. Located on the northeast quadrant of the Marygrove campus, the approximately 70,000-square-foot, four-story facility will combine office space with publicly accessible community spaces, convening space and amenities.

Current plans include a public ground floor featuring reception space, community gathering areas, a café, a gallery and community meeting rooms.

“We envision the new facility as a welcoming civic space that reflects the vitality of the Marygrove campus and the surrounding neighborhoods,” Rapson said.

Community Engagement Shapes Neighborhood Investment, Campus Enhancements

Over the past year, campus and neighborhood stakeholders have helped shape initiatives that advance Kresge’s commitment to further invest in the Livernois-McNichols neighborhoods.

Kresge and its community engagement partners have convened more than 125 residents and stakeholders in the Livernois-McNichols Neighborhood Action Agenda process to identify priorities and opportunities for future investment in the five neighborhoods adjacent to the Marygrove campus.

In partnership with the Marygrove Conservancy, Live6 Alliance, Detroit Collaborative Design Center, and UrbanAC, residents and stakeholders will debut, in October, a set of proposed strategies and actions to realize resident priorities focused on youth, housing, commercial corridors, small businesses, culture and heritage, community capacity, and wellbeing.

Some of these efforts are already underway, building on Kresge’s priority of fulfilling existing commitments made to residents through past engagement processes. This spring, the Live6 Alliance provided one-time operating grants to support resident engagement and community-led projects at 10 legacy volunteer-led neighborhood associations.

Live6 Alliance is also administering the Resident Investment and Opportunity Fund, a one-stop intake program connecting neighborhood residents to property tax relief programs, heirs’ property assistance, side-lot acquisition opportunities and climate-smart home repair resources.

Campus and neighborhood stakeholders have also informed improvements to the Marygrove campus. This week, students in grades 3-6 at The School at Marygrove joined landscape architect Walter Hood for a playground design session. High school students participated in a design workshop to refine concepts for the new campus quad area. In addition, neighboring residents gathered for a walking tour to provide feedback about proposed campus infrastructure improvements and site design.

“This project continues to evolve because of the people who care most deeply about Marygrove and its surrounding neighborhoods,” Rapson said. “Their ideas are helping ensure these investments create lasting value for students, families, residents and future generations.”