ENDANGERED

Event: Interstate 313: Displacement and Preservation On the Road to a Just Future

Posted by & filed under Advocacy, ENDANGERED, Events, ISSUES, Preservation, STORYTELLING, United Sound.

Detroit Sound Conservancy and Black Bottom Archives present a panel discussion about the impact of interstate systems on Detroit. Sunday February 26th 2pm at Main | Detroit Public Library 5201 Woodward Avenue Detroit, MI 48202 Free RSVP Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/interstate-313-displacement-and-preservation-on-the-road-to-a-just-future-tickets-525794494487 Community advocates and preservation organizations Detroit Sound Conservancy (DSC) and Black Bottom Archives (BBA) present a panel […]

Invited: African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Posted by & filed under 5021 Tireman, ENDANGERED, Preservation.

Some good news! Earlier this year, we submitted a letter of intent to partially fund the restoration of the Legendary Blue Bird Inn through the National Trust for Historic Preservation‘s very competitive African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. The grant is worth $50-$150,00. The National Trust got 537 other letters so we are honored to […]

A Sonic Desert?

Posted by & filed under Conference, ENDANGERED, Preservation, workinonit.

Has Detroit become a sonic desert? Musical expression has been a long-standing pivot point for debates about Detroit’s successes and failures. Though the Detroit area has a wide range of cultural expressions for which it is associated—including art, design, architecture, literature, and, critically, industrial production—music has been the dominant site for articulating exactly how Detroit […]

The National Theatre: A Facade of Silence

Posted by & filed under Education, ENDANGERED, Preservation.

On Monday September 11th, the property management company Bedrock Detroit publicly announced their plans to demolish the National Theatre and move a portion of its façade to serve as a pedestrian walkway. We are deeply concerned. On August 24, the first public kickoff meeting for Bedrock’s proposed Book Tower and Monroe Block development projects was […]

Ain’t Too Proud…

Posted by & filed under ENDANGERED, ISSUES, workinonit.

Dear Detroit Sound Conservancy Ally, On the week of our 5th birthday, I come with my hat in my hands. I’m writing you because I know you care deeply about our collections and our mission and that we must maintain and protect these collections. Last year, we made the tough decision to pull our collections […]

Activating the Graystone Ballroom Legacy

Posted by & filed under ENDANGERED.

The Detroit Sound Conservancy celebrates the memory of the Graystone International Jazz Museum with the help of the Detroit Historical Society DETROIT, MI — The Detroit Sound Conservancy (DSC) is pleased to announce that it has been donated the artifacts of the former Graystone International Jazz Museum (GIJM) and will be accessing and activating the […]

Preserving the Graystone Legacy

Posted by & filed under ENDANGERED, LANDMARKS, Oral History, PROJECTS, Uncategorized.

What ever happened to the Graystone Ballroom? For those who remember, or were lucky enough to be around during the heyday of the vibrant, African American community known as Paradise Valley, they know how important the Graystone was to Detroit. It was one the area’s main attractions. The Graystone Ballroom was a famous Detroit entertainment venue […]

Preserving United Sound Systems

Posted by & filed under ENDANGERED, LANDMARKS, PROJECTS, Uncategorized.

United Sound Systems (USS) was the site of numerous well-known recordings, including those by the most popular artists of many genres. Jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Miles Davis, blues legends like John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters, Motown stars such as Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson, soul singers such as Aretha Franklin and Isaac […]

Why We DetroitWiki

Posted by & filed under ENDANGERED, gogetem, LANDMARKS, PROJECTS, Uncategorized.

The Detroit Sound Conservancy believes that Detroit preservationists need an accurate, sourced, linked, serviceable history of their city. We have been attempting to build such a useable past for Detroit music since 2012 via the DetroitWiki. The goal here must be to take musical minutia – the arcane knowledge of musical anthropologists, record collectors, and […]