AN INITIATIVE OF THE INSTITUTE OF LEGACY PRESERVATION
LEGACY BUSINESS
PRESERVATION
Long-standing business are more than places of commerce.
They are keepers of identity, history, and community memory.
Thorough research, storytelling, and preservation strategy,
the Institute of Legacy Preservation works to recognize
and sustain the business that have shaped generations.
OUR JOURNEY
From Pilot to Citywide Impact
01
DOWNTOWN DETROIT PILOT
Created by the Institute of Legacy Preservation
The Pilot identified and celebrated 10 longstanding Downtown Detroit business whose stories represented entrepreneurship, resilience, and cultural continuity.
02
DETROIT LEGACY BUSINESS PROJECT
Expanded Citywide
Building on the foundation, the work expanded into the Detroit Legacy Business Project, a citywide imitative supporting legacy businesses across all seven council districts through recognition, storytelling, resources, and preservation.
THE FOUNDING LEGACY BUSINESSES
THE 10 BUSINESSESS THAT LAUNCHED THE MOVEMENT
The Downtown Detroit pilot recognized a founding cohort of businesses that demonstrated the importance of documenting and preserving commercial legacy.
PRESERVATION IN PRACTICE
OUR IMPACT
A Pilot That Shaped A Citywide Vision
The Downtown Detroit Pilot helped shape the Institute of Legacy Preservation’s approach to recognition, storytelling, and preservation strategy.
By honoring these businesses, we honor the people, the places, and the history that built our city.