Past Exhibitions & Projects

This delightful exhibition takes visitors on a nostalgic trip down memory lane featuring the toys they loved as children – no matter what era that may have been! With hundreds of vintage toys from the 1800s through the 1990s from the Detroit Historical Society collection all on display for a limited time, this exhibit is designed to be full of fun for the whole family and not to be missed.

The Kresge Foundation was established in Detroit in 1924 by Sebastian Spering Kresge, whose retail empire, the S.S. Kresge Co., brought low-priced goods to the nation through five and dime stories, and later, Kmart. Today the private philanthropic foundation works to expand equity and opportunity in America’s cities through grantmaking and social investing.  

Take a walk back in history to Hastings Street’s time from 1880-1930 as an enclave for Detroit’s Jewish immigrants, where everyday life was full of the choices, adversities, innovations, triumphs, tensions, and synergies that defined this incomparable place.

Detroit’s Chinatowns tells the 150-year history of the the city's Chinese community, starting with the arrival of an immigrant named Ah-Chee in 1872. A timeline traces the community’s growth, as the city’s first Chinatown came together on 3rd Avenue, just west of downtown, and then relocated to the Cass Corridor due to 1950s urban renewal. 

From intricately detailed steamers and schooners to models designed for play, the art of bringing massive ships down in scale so that they can be appreciated up close is something that ship model markers spend many hours perfecting. Whether created by master builders or hobbyists, each model is a piece of history and art.

As it celebrates its centennial year, Orchestra Hall’s legacy goes beyond its legendary acoustics or the roster of bold-faced names that have graced its stage.

Take a comprehensive look at the past with artifacts, images and audio that begin with the construction of Orchestra Hall and follow its history to modern day in this exhibition. 

Since steamboat travel to Detroit began 200 years ago, passengers and sailors have enjoyed shipboard food that is renowned the world over. This new exhibition explores the particular culinary elegance experienced by those who travelled the inland seas.

Showcasing 20th century fashion design and retail alongside the designers and grassroots fashion retailers of today, including costumes from the 1940s, 50s, 60s, and even 70s from well-known retailers such as Hudsons, Himelhoch's and Winkelman's.