In celebration of the City’s unique architecture designed by several of the 20th Century’s leading architects, the Southfield Historical Society, the Detroit Area Art Deco Society, and the Friends of Southfield Public Arts are once again hosting the Southfield Mid-Century Modern Architecture Tour.  

The bus tour will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 9 at Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, 27375 Bell Road.  Free parking is available at the site.  The bus will return to Shaarey Zedek at approximately 4:40 p.m.

Mid-Twentieth Century architecture and design (referred to as Mid-Century Modern) has seen a tremendous resurgence in popularity in recent years.  Mid-Century Modern styling is often used in architecture, fashion, home furnishings, and interior design.  

For a number of years during the 1960s, Southfield was Michigan’s fastest growing city.  As a result, Southfield has a large, collection of impressive Mid-Century Modern homes, commercial buildings, schools, and religious institutions.  

The tour will proceed from Shaarey Zedek to a classic Mid-Century home, with its original interior décor, to Cranbrook Neighborhood and on to significant buildings along Southfield Road and Northwestern Highway.  The tour will loop around Northland with several stops including Minoru Yamasaki’s Reynolds Aluminum building and through Northland Gardens to Ira Kaufman Funeral Home and Emanual Lutheran Church.

The purpose of the tour is to create awareness of and appreciation for some of Southfield’s distinctive buildings and homes and to promote Southfield as a place to live, recreate, and do business.  Guides will comment on some the distinctive features of Mid-Century Modern architecture as well as architects of the day.  Besides Yamasaki, other noted buildings in the city were designed by Victor Gruen, Gunnar Birkerts, Rossetti & Associates, Percival Goodman, G. Bruce Boore, Percival Goodman, and Louis Redstone.  

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 on the day of the tour (if available). Tickets may be purchased through the Mayor’s Office at Southfield City Hall (26000 Evergreen Road, Southfield 48076) or via PayPal to SFLDPublicArts@gmail.com. Please make checks payable to Friends of Southfield Public Arts. 

For more information or ticket questions, contact Mayor Ken Siver at ksiver@cityofsouthfield.com or (248) 796-5100.