Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research Presents
THREE DAYS AWAY GUIDED TOUR
DETROIT AND CRANBROOK:
THE INSIDER'S ARCHITECTURE TOUR
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, June 11, 12, and 13, 2026
$1,575/person (includes a $500 tax-deductible donation to the Cranbrook Center)
The registration fee includes all admission costs, bus transportation on Friday and Saturday, Thursday dinner, Friday lunch and dinner, and Saturday lunch and dinner. Travel to and from Detroit, hotel accommodations, parking, and breakfasts are not included.
Hotel accommodations are available at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit—at the discounted Cranbrook rate of $449/night plus taxes—and must be booked and paid separately by the participants. The Cranbrook rate is available for Wednesday through Saturday nights. The cost of the hotel is not included in the $1,575 registration fee.
To reserve a spot on the tour, please submit a $500 deposit.
Tour Hosts
• Gregory Wittkopp, Director, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
• Amy Klein, Director of Development, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Tour Host and Center Architectural Historian
• Kevin Adkisson, Curator, Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research
Additional Guest Experts and Tour Leaders
• Benjamin Colman, Curator, American Art, The Detroit Institute of Arts
• Dorota Chudzicka, Associate Curator, Modern European Art, The Detroit Institute of Arts
• Mark Heppner, Executive Director, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
• Mary and Robert Lubera, Owners, Alexander Girard-designed McLucas House
• Phillip Morici and Joseph Nieradka, Owners, Perry-Stratton House
• Ann Stevenson and Curt Catallo, Owners, Paul Rudloph-designed Parcells House
• Lisa Worley, Director of Material Culture, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
• Jack Craig, Designer and Cranbrook Academy of Art Graduate (Design ’12)
Join the Center for a once-in-a-lifetime tour of Detroit—and Cranbrook—this June. With the Center’s director Greg Wittkopp and curator Kevin Adkisson as your hosts and guides, you’ll experience Detroit, its landmarks, and the Cranbrook campus through the eyes of two of the region’s most knowledgeable and passionate residents and historians.
Your visit begins with a guided walk through Detroit’s dynamic downtown, where rehabilitated landmarks, contemporary towers, new parks, and public art extend from the edge of the Detroit River to the heart of the city along Woodward Avenue. Continue with curator-led, insider-access to the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, followed by exclusive, owner-led tours of three of the region’s nationally renowned private homes.
Experience the grandeur of the magnificently restored Michigan Central Station, then gather for a wine reception in the Detroit design studio of one of Cranbrook Academy of Art’s most celebrated artists. The program culminates with a behind-the-scenes tour of Cranbrook’s enchanting, Michelin-honored, National Historic Landmark campus. This is an immersive three-day experience of art, architecture, and design that you do not want to miss!
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS
DAY ONE: THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Meet at Shinola Hotel at 3:00pm
Walking Tour of Downtown Detroit
Our program will begin with a three-hour walking history and architecture tour of Detroit’s Central Business District led by Center Curator Kevin Adkisson.
Evening Dinner at 7:00pm
Optional Nightcap at The Monarch Club’s Rooftop Bar
DAY TWO: FRIDAY, JUNE 12
Bus Departs Shinola Hotel at 9:00am
The Detroit Institute of Arts
Founded in 1885, the DIA's collection is among the top six in the United States, with more than 65,000 works. Planned highlights include Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry murals, the American Art Galleries, and the special exhibition Highlights from the Modern Collection.
Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores
This iconic estate—home to Edsel and Eleanor Ford—is a masterpiece of design and a treasured symbol of American innovation and cultural legacy. Designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn (who also designed Cranbrook House) and landscape architect Jens Jensen, the Lake St. Clair estate features breathtaking gardens, remarkable interiors, and 87 acres of historic beauty.
Private Residence Tours
1. Paul Rudolph-designed Parcells House—an iconic nine-level contemporary home built in 1970 for Frank and Anne Parcells overlooking Lake St. Clair (Grosse Pointe)
2. Alexander Girard-designed McLucas House—a Mid-Century Modern masterwork built in 1950, and the sole surviving private residence designed entirely by Girard (Grosse Pointe Farms)
3. William Stratton-designed Perry-Stratton House—the Arts & Crafts home built in 1913 for Pewabic Pottery founder Mary Chase Perry Stratton and moved to Grosse Pointe Park in the 1920s after her marriage to architect William B. Stratton, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Grosse Pointe Park)
The Shepherd
The Shepherd is a century-old Romanesque-style church transformed into a cultural center and contemporary art gallery. The campus grounds include a public skatepark designed by Tony Hawk, a sculpture park honoring the late Detroit artist Charles McGee, and the wine and cocktail bar Father Forgive Me where there will be time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Pewabic Pottery
Founded in 1903, Pewabic Pottery is one of the oldest continually operating potteries in the country. Working out of its National Historic Landmark studio on Detroit's east side, it is an active pottery, architectural tile studio, ceramic arts education center, and vibrant cultural destination. And it might just be the best place in town to purchase a treasured souvenir of your trip to Detroit!
Evening Dinner at 7:00pm
DAY THREE: SATURDAY, JUNE 13
Bus Departs Shinola Hotel at 9:00am
Michigan Central Station
Located in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, Michigan Central Station was the city’s primary railway depot from 1913 to 1988. By the turn of the 20th century, the abandoned station had become a symbol of Detroit’s industrial decline. Now meticulously restored by the Ford Motor Company, Michigan Central Station reopened in 2024 and is the center of a vibrant, multi-use campus focused on technology and innovation.
Cranbrook Educational Community
Whether this is your first trip to our world-renowned campus or your 100th, Cranbrook is certain to be the most memorable part of the Three Days Away experience. The tour will unfold in roughly chronological order allowing you to experience Cranbrook the way our founders, George and Ellen Booth, dreamed and built it, from its Arts & Crafts beginnings to Eliel Saarinen’s evolving Modernism and more recent additions by Tod Williams and others. Our day will include Christ Church Cranbrook, Cranbrook House and Gardens, the original Cranbrook School for Boys, Saarinen House, Cranbrook Academy of Art, Cranbrook Art Museum, Cranbrook Archives, the original Kingswood School for Girls, Cranbrook Japanese Garden, and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Smith House.
Jack Craig Studio
Known for his fanciful, other-worldly chairs, tables, and fixtures, artist Jack Craig is a 2012 graduate of Cranbrook Academy of Art’s celebrated Design Department.
Mies van der Rohe Residential District, Lafayette Park
Lafayette Park is considered one of America's most successful post-World War II urban redevelopment projects. Its 46 acres encompass multiple-unit townhomes, high-rise apartment buildings, a 13-acre park, a school, and a shopping center. Together the district comprises the world's largest collection of buildings designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, widely considered one of the 20th century's greatest architects.
Evening Dinner at Alpino Detroit at 7:00pm
Please note, the final itinerary is subject to change.
REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration for Detroit and Cranbrook: The Insider’s Architecture Tour is $1,575 per person, including a $500 deposit and tax-deductible gift to Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
To ensure that we have behind-the-scenes access to these architectural masterworks, this guided tour is strictly limited to 38 participants. To reserve a spot on the tour, please submit a $500 deposit (fully tax-deductible). If you plan to stay at Shinola Hotel, please indicate this in the comments field of the Registration Form. To request a room at Shinola Hotel at the discounted Center rate, your deposit must be received by April 3.
Patrons on the tour list will be contacted by the Center to arrange for the final payment ($1,075) and provided the hotel registration information, including a code to receive the discounted rate. If you plan to fly to Detroit, we suggest not making travel arrangements until contacted by the Center.
SHINOLA HOTEL
The home base for our exploration of Detroit will be the luxurious, Michelin-rated Shinola Hotel in Downtown Detroit. Nestled in the heart of the city’s historic Woodward shopping district, this stylish boutique hotel is the newest project of the Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola. Spanning five historic buildings, including the 1936 home of the Singer Sewing Machine Company, the hotel’s interiors recall an idealized version of Detroit’s manufacturing heyday. The hotel includes several social spaces, including San Morello, an Italian restaurant, along with a cocktail bar (Evening Bar), a beer hall (The Brakeman), and two fast-casual restaurants, Penny Red's and Mister Dips. Parker's Alley, part of the Shinola Hotel, also features a variety of local shops and makers.
FOOD AND DRINK
As memorable food and drink are integral to all Center experiences, it goes without saying that the trip will include three dinners in Detroit that are sure to please the foodies in the group. The dinner lineup includes a private, three-course dinner on the closing night at one of the Center’s favorite Detroit restaurants, Alpino Detroit. Located in historic Corktown, the James Beard-honored Alpino is highly praised for its cozy, Alpine-inspired atmosphere and European cuisine inspired by regional dishes from the Alps.
ACCESSIBILITY
This will be a rigorous tour that will include considerable walking on all three days. The first day will include a three-hour walking tour and most of the five hours at Cranbrook will be spent exploring the campus and its historic buildings on foot. The Detroit Institute of Arts, Ford House, Michigan Central Station, Cranbrook Art Museum, Shinola Hotel, and all restaurants are accessible. Due to their historic nature, many of the private homes and Cranbrook’s campus include stairs, unpaved walks, and narrow hallways, making them not inaccessible by wheelchair.
If you have any accessibility questions, please contact Amy Klein at 248.645.3215 or aklein@cranbrook.edu.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND TERMS
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The $1,575/person fee includes a required $500/person deposit and donation to Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
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Tour reservation is guaranteed with the full $1,575 participation fee paid on time, including the $500 deposit paid by April 17 and the $1,075 final payment by May 1.
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The registration fee does not include travel to and from Detroit, accommodations at Shinola Hotel, parking, and breakfasts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings.
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The tour begins at Shinola Hotel on Thursday, June 11, with a walking tour of downtown Detroit from 3:00 to 6:00pm followed by a welcome dinner at 7:00pm. The tour concludes with a closing dinner on Saturday evening at 7:00pm. The tour does not include any planned activities or tours on Sunday, June 14.
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After May 1, the $500 deposit to the Center included in the participation fee is non-refundable (unless the tour is canceled by the Center); the remaining $1,075 tour fee is refundable only if a patron can be found to take the place of the original tour patron or if the tour is canceled by the Center.
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Attendees must reserve and pay separately for their room at Shinola Hotel. Patrons will be provided with a code and instructions for booking the room.
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The hotel room is subject to Shinola Hotel’s policies and regulations, including all applicable cancellation fees and penalties.
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The Center does not guarantee the availability of rooms at Shinola Hotel at the discounted rate.
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Attendees may stay at another hotel of their choice. However, the daily tours all start and end at Shinola Hotel.
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Daily valet parking will be available at Shinola Hotel for all tour guests (whether or not they are staying at the hotel), at the rate of $50 per day.
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The Center will do its best to convey all dietary restrictions to the restaurants.
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In accordance with the security protocols of Cranbrook, all participants touring the interiors of Cranbrook Schools will need to provide their full legal name and date of birth in advance of the tour.
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The exact tour schedule, including the restaurants, is subject to change and refinement.
For additional information, please contact Amy Klein, Center Director of Development, at 248.645.3215 or AKlein@cranbrook.edu, or Greg Wittkopp, Center Director, at 248.645.3315 or GWittkopp@cranbrook.edu.
Photo Credits
Banner image: Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Photography by Jason O'Rear, Courtesy Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
Martin House Henrich Conservatory. Photography courtesy Martin House.
The Richardson Hotel, Photography Retrieved from richardsonhotel-buffalo.com.
Kleinhans Music Hall. Photography Courtesy Kleinhans Music Hall.
Ariel View of Buffalo AKG Art Museum. Photography by Jason O'Rear, Courtesy Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
Lobby of the Guaranty Building. Photography Retrieved from hellobuffalohikes.com.
View of Kleinhans Music Hall Stage. Photography Courtesy Kleinhans Music Hall.
Roycroft Copper Shop Exterior. Photography Courtesy Archives of Roycroft Campus.
Darwin D. Martin House Exterior. Photography Courtesy Martin House.
Fontana Boathouse. Photography Retrieved from buffalophotoblog.com.
Exterior and Grounds of Graycliff. Photography by Matthew Digati, Courtesy Graycliff.
Aerial View of Darwin D. Martin House. Photography Courtesy Martin House.