CLIENT: Nederlander Group - State of Michigan
LOCATION: Detroit, MI
YEAR: 2000-2001
In use since the 1860s, the Michigan State Fair Grounds is the oldest continually used fairgrounds in the United States. The site is owned by the State of Michigan, and leased and managed by the Nederlander Group, which hired McIntosh Poris to renovate the Fairgrounds to accommodate a greater variety of commerce and entertaining.
McIntosh Poris Architects envisioned a modern, yet traditional, fairgrounds that would attract people to various events year-round, generating new jobs and public amenities for the City as a whole.
The proposed improvements included a new equestrian area, a multi-purpose barn, an amphitheater, 10,000 new parking spaces and enhancements to the existing infrastructure. The master plan represents the first major renovation at the fairgrounds in the last 40 years.
