The Detroit Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts is undergoing a significant transformation under the leadership of president and artistic director Vince Paul. The ambitious project involves both the renovation of the historic 1928 Music Hall and the construction of a new adjacent building, aiming to enhance Detroit’s cultural landscape.t
The expansion includes a seven-story, 100,000-square-foot facility featuring a 1,900-seat concert hall, a 200-seat recital hall, recording and practice studios, a music academy, leasable office spaces, and a rooftop restaurant. A public welcome center will also provide box office access to various arts events across Detroit. The new structure will be connected to the existing Music Hall via enclosed aerial walkways over an activated alleyway designed for outdoor performances and art installations.
Designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects – known for designing the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago and the David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City – the new building will feature a distinctive perforated metallic screen with LED lighting set to illuminate the nighttime exterior.
The expansion, which will double the Music Hall’s capacity – it is estimated at $125 million, with $80 million expected from tax-exempt 501(c)(3) bonds issued by the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. Construction is anticipated to be completed by early 2028.
Detroitisit had the pleasure of chatting with Vince Paul about the impetus behind the expansion, the vision and how it will impact the city.
VINCE PAUL
DII: Tell me about the Music Hall.
Paul: It is 97 years old and the only theater in Detroit that has never stopped operating. It’s also hosted more presenters than nearly any other venue in the country. Historically, the theater has emphasized multicultural programming – and that legacy continues today.
Detroit is a diverse city, but often people stay in cultural silos. When I returned to Detroit from New York 20 years ago to run Music Hall, we intentionally used multicultural programming as a tool for revitalization. From Bollywood productions to Indian comedians to the International Arab Orchestra, we created space for communities across Metro Detroit—from Dearborn to Farmington—to come downtown and feel a sense of ownership and belonging.
That effort extended to younger audiences, too. We opened a rooftop nightclub and we run tens of thousands of people through it—especially in the 25 to 35 age group. It gives them a reason to be here, live here, and invest in this city. Today, the district around Madison is the most attended, highest revenue entertainment corridor in the world. Forty million people move through it annually. That’s no accident—we’ve helped create a new cultural subset in Detroit. It’s a newly born community of people who aren’t necessarily following in their parents’ footsteps but building their own lives and careers here.
We’re continuing to expand that vision. This is the first new concert hall built in Detroit in 80 years. When it’s done, there will be nine theaters operating in this district.
DII: How does the Music Hall tie into the revitalization of Detroit?
Paul: Music Hall is the flagship of a much larger effort to revitalize Detroit. At its core, it’s about getting people out of their silos—bringing together people who dress differently, think differently, and come from different backgrounds. There’s immense value in that kind of interaction.
I often say I’m in the gathering business. Gathering is essential to any vibrant city, and downtown Detroit is the hub where that can happen. Our multicultural programming is intentional. It’s a way to invite people in and let them learn from one another, sometimes without even realizing it. That’s how we begin to understand what makes different cultures tick. That kind of curiosity and openness is crucial to Detroit’s future.
We focus on the present and give it everything we have, with one eye always on the future.
DII: Tell me about the new building.
Paul: The new building is deliberately complex because 21st-century challenges require sophisticated answers. For over a decade, we’ve been thinking about how to use our parking lot on the corner of Randolph and Madison. It’s a high-visibility location, and right now, it’s just a lot.
We asked: What are the gaps in Detroit’s cultural infrastructure? One is music education. We’re already an educational provider for Detroit Public Schools, so this new building will house a nonprofit music academy. Detroit hasn’t had a music store in years, so we’ll have one. It will include a concert hall.
This project embodies the idea that Music Hall is Detroit, and Detroit is Music Hall. On the fifth floor, there will be archives and a digital mural canvas showcasing our history. We are committed to using this building to lift up the city.
And that commitment shows—on any given night, you might have ballet in the main hall, jazz at Aretha’s Jazz Café, and a rooftop crowd on the 350 Terrace. The building hums with life and culture.
MUSIC HALL
DII: This kind of project is only as strong as the team behind it. How did you assemble the right people and partnerships?
Paul: It started with our trustees. We identified 12 entities that addressed clear gaps in Detroit’s cultural ecosystem. Then the question became: How do we fit them into a 100-by-150-foot footprint?
We brought in architect Tod Williams, who redesigned Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center and is working on the Obama Presidential Library. He’s from Detroit—and his first job with the city, I convinced him to take it on.
Construction is being managed by Barton Malow. They won a competitive bid and truly wanted the job. It’s a uniquely complex project—five floors above ground and a concert hall 40 feet below. Not a single square foot is the same. We’ve got restaurants, studios, event spaces. Local architect Rainy Hamilton—whose office I can see from my window—is also onboard.
We’re close with the City of Detroit and are financing partially through 501(c)(3) municipal bonds. It’s a big lift, but the right people are in place.
DII: From a business perspective, what does this renovation aim to solve or unlock?
Paul: We’re building a central hub for music and culture. The new building includes office space, like a Chroma Detroit for the music industry. Detroit is a global music capital, but right now, people don’t know each other. They’re not learning from each other. There’s no place to meet, collaborate, or even loiter—and that matters.
This city doesn’t have a recording studio downtown or a record label presence. In New York, the Brill Building was a place where musicians ran into producers and execs. That doesn’t exist here—and it should.
Music education is fading in our schools. And the infrastructure around music—recording, rehearsing, networking has been marginalized for decades. If we’re going to hold onto our identity as a music city, we need to invest in that infrastructure. That’s why we’re subsidizing rehearsal space, offices, and performance opportunities. We want the building to be flexible. Not prescriptive. A place where creativity can thrive.
NEW MUSIC HALL RENDERING
It’ll also help activate the city during the day, especially alongside the new medical center being developed next door.
DII: How do you see the expansion transforming artistic programming and community engagement long term?
Paul: We won’t allow any one promoter to monopolize the concert hall. Everyone has to share the space. That means more variety—house music, techno, rap, jazz, rock, comedy—all represented.
We’re adding a dance studio and will manage a community calendar across all facilities. The goal is flexibility and engagement.
DII: What does success look like once the renovation is complete?
Paul: Success is about rebuilding Southeast Michigan’s gathering culture. It’s about reinstating music as part of our civic identity. People should be able to live, work, and play downtown, not just drive through it.
We went through 50–60 years of “non-normal” in Detroit. Now we’re stepping into a healthier civic rhythm. In cities like Munich or Portland, the city center is vibrant, and people gather. That’s what we’re building here.
Our nightclub has brought people together. Couples have met, moved in, had kids, and then some moved back downtown later in life. That’s the cycle we’re supporting. It’s normal. And it’s powerful.
DII: You’ve led the Music Hall through significant milestones. What has been most meaningful for you during this renovation journey?
Paul: “Journey” is the right word. When I arrived, GM was bankrupt, the mayor was in jail, and the city had no working streetlights. It was dark—literally and figuratively.
But I saw people exiting the Madison ramp and passing Music Hall. So we lit it up. We added a billboard. Color. Warmth. A rooftop terrace. These small gestures collectively changed the narrative.
Detroit was always viewed as heavy. Closed off. But suddenly it started to feel vibrant, colorful—even inviting.
The performing arts don’t need to be literal. Sometimes a two-hour show stays with you weeks later and makes you think differently. That’s power.
I remember when we presented “Fela!”—a Broadway musical about Fela Kuti. People still call me to say how that show changed the way they think.
At the heart of it, I always believed Detroit’s challenge wasn’t financial. It was cultural. And I saw Music Hall as a way to help rebuild, reconfigure, and reimagine what this city could be.
We’re pairing a historic landmark with a bold, modern expansion. That contrast tells a story—and it’s still unfolding.
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