Inside Under Armour’s Detroit Brand House

The Grand Opening for Under Armour’s Brand House in Detroit is April 13. We stopped by early to check out the new store in the renovated Kresge Building.

The store is three stories, with two above ground and one in the basement, and comes in at 17,200 square feet. The Under Armour store is the first Detroit retail in recent years to have two stories above ground. Under Armour’s Senior Vice-President of Global Retail Susie McCabe said they wanted to marry the stories of Detroit and Baltimore, where the headquarters of Under Armour are located. She says both cities embody an underdog spirit, and that comes out in the design of the store.

Kraemer Design Group served as the architect of record, and part of KDG’s historic consultation included advising the team on the best way to maintain the historic character of the mezzanine while altering it to fit Under Armour’s needs. They also preserved the handrails and marble in the monumental staircase.

The fitting rooms have special features including murals by local artists depicting athletes like Justin Verlander and Muhammad Ali.

The store has numerous displays of shoes, including an area with custom shoes. There’s also a free phone charging station for customers who need that service while they’re out shopping. A variety of interactive apps are located around the store, so guests can learn more about the products and visuals while they’re shopping.

Sachse Construction was the general contractor for the buildout in the Bedrock property. It’s located at 1201 Woodward, across from the Hudson’s site. Here’s a look around.