For decades, a former Woolworth store on Detroit’s west side sat empty, collecting dust, debris and a whole lot of unrealized potential. Now Detroit Blight Busters is turning the long-vacant building into the Sunflower Arts Center, a mixed-use destination planned for artists, children, small businesses and neighborhood diners. The project could give Old Redford a major new cultural anchor without erasing the building’s history.
The 1905 building sits along Grand River Avenue near Lahser and is being redeveloped as a roughly 30,000-square-foot center with classrooms, seven live/work spaces for artists, retail space and a diner, according to WXYZ. Executive Director John George said Blight Busters received the property as a donation and had to remove more than 200 dumpsters of debris before the redevelopment could move forward.
The current project carries an estimated price tag of about $7 million, with Blight Busters still trying to raise another $3 million, WXYZ reported. As reported by Hoodline, the City of Detroit described an earlier version of the plan in December 2024 as a $5 million, 20,000-square-foot development after the project received a $1 million state grant.
A New Neighbor For Artist Village
The Sunflower Arts Center will be built next to Blight Busters’ existing Artist Village, creating a larger arts-focused stretch in Old Redford. The nonprofit describes Artist Village as a once-neglected 6,000-square-foot facility that now houses entertainment, shopping, and community activity, according to Detroit Blight Busters.
The planned center is meant to be more than a gallery or performance venue. Its classrooms are intended to give local children access to creative programming, while the commercial areas could give Detroit artists and makers a place to sell work without having to leave the neighborhood.
Old Redford’s Redevelopment Push
The project is arriving alongside other public and private investments around Grand River Avenue. The City of Detroit has been developing an Arts Alley behind Artist Village as part of a broader initiative to convert neglected alleys into neighborhood gathering spaces, with citywide funding tied to American Rescue Plan dollars, according to the City of Detroit.
That broader redevelopment effort has already helped turn Old Redford into one of the city’s more visible examples of community-led revitalization. A Detroit Metro Times profile reported that Blight Busters had helped attract more than $100 million in investment to the neighborhood, while also pursuing affordable housing, youth programming and additional community facilities.
Blight Busters estimates the Sunflower Arts Center will take at least a year to a year and a half to complete, WXYZ reported. If the fundraising comes together, a building that once represented vacancy on Grand River could soon be serving as a place for classes, performances, commerce and the occasional diner conversation about how to fix Detroit’s next block.
