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Cool Offices, Reno Projects, & Studios Open For A Day of Tours

By Sarah Cox
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By Sarah Cox
5 comments / new

OpenCo, a mash-up of an open studio tour and a business conference, is hitting Detroit on September 12 for a full day of public access to some of Detroit's best real estate. Offices and galleries will hold sessions all day long to show off Detroit's tech sector, various start-ups, the arts, and even some production facilities (see how a cuke becomes pickle-ifed at McClure's). General admission to OpenCo is free, but registration is required. If you managed to snag a VIP ticket (not free), we'll see you on the M@dison building rooftop for a party on September 11. Or if there's just never enough Curbed in your life, come see us camped out at the offices of Patrick Thompson Design in the Auburn building.

It will be impossible to see all the cool spaces, since several of the best ones share the same time slots. But the 45-minute tours start at 9 AM and each participant can schedule 5 different stops for the day. Here are our humble suggestions for seeing 10 of the best of the 57 locations. Full schedule here.

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Green Garage

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A collection of start-ups and freelancers call this gorgeously renovated former Model T showroom home base. The co-working space is on an eco-friendly mission, and used mostly reclaimed materials for the reno, which is easily one Detroit's best design highlights. Session time: 1:00 p.m. To see this space, please sign up for the 3:00 pm Urban Innovation Exchange tour (sold out).

4444 2nd St., Detroit, MI 48201

David Whitney Building

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Building developers The Roxbury Group selected this in-progress hotel/condo project at the historic David Whitney building for a presentation. The atrium is a real highlight of the Daniel H. Burnham-designed skyscraper where an Aloft hotel will open in July 2014. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

1553 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226

Department Of Alternatives

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If you follow the foreclosure auction, you might know this as the place where the "Why Don't We Own This?" map gets made (by LOVELANDTechnologies). This start-up office share is also home to Dandelion, The Detroit Bus Company, and EBLI. Session time: 9:00 a.m.

1514 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226

La Feria

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La Feria is an upcoming tapas restaurant promising to open this fall. In the meantime, there's some interesting facade work happening on the midtown storefront, so a peek inside at the progress seems worthwhile to us. Session time: 9:00 a.m.

4130 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

Anthology Coffee (Ponyride Building)

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This local coffee roaster has been slowly renovating a ground-floor spot in the Ponyride building for a while now. It's worth the trip to Corktown Shores to see the progress and get all hyped up on their fantastic caffeine offerings. Session time: 11:00 a.m.

1401 Vermont Street, Detroit, MI 48216

McClure's Pickles

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Come hear Joe McClure, who founded the company with his brother Bob, describe the pickle-makers amazing success story. As part of last year's expansion, they moved production from Troy, MI to this location in Detroit near Hamtramck. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

8201 Saint Aubin Street, Detroit, MI 48211

Detroit Soup

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The Jam Handy building, a former film studio, has been under renovation for the last few years, and welcomed the crowd-funding dinner Detroit Soup to call the it home earlier this year. Come here about creative projects that got funding in this awesome gym-like space which was bought for a mere $13,000 in 2010. Session time: 11:00 a.m.

2900 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202

The Work

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Located in the Elevator Building, the Work is a video production crew which recently gave us that rather awesome piece for the XGames Detroit bid. Session time: 3:00 p.m.

1938 Franklin Street, Detroit, MI 48207

Red Bull House Of Art

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If you have not been to a gallery opening party here yet, then you're missing out. It is quite possibly the best basement space in Detroit. Session time: 4:30 p.m.

1551 Winder Street, Detroit, MI 48207

Curbed Detroit (PTD Office)

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If you are reading this map, you probably know what Curbed Detroit is. If you are still unclear, stopping by in person might not help. In any case, we'll be chatting about blogs and design in the office of Patrick Thompson Design in the Auburn building. Come say hello. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

4240 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

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Green Garage

4444 2nd St., Detroit, MI 48201

A collection of start-ups and freelancers call this gorgeously renovated former Model T showroom home base. The co-working space is on an eco-friendly mission, and used mostly reclaimed materials for the reno, which is easily one Detroit's best design highlights. Session time: 1:00 p.m. To see this space, please sign up for the 3:00 pm Urban Innovation Exchange tour (sold out).

4444 2nd St., Detroit, MI 48201

David Whitney Building

1553 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226

Building developers The Roxbury Group selected this in-progress hotel/condo project at the historic David Whitney building for a presentation. The atrium is a real highlight of the Daniel H. Burnham-designed skyscraper where an Aloft hotel will open in July 2014. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

1553 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48226

Department Of Alternatives

1514 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226

If you follow the foreclosure auction, you might know this as the place where the "Why Don't We Own This?" map gets made (by LOVELANDTechnologies). This start-up office share is also home to Dandelion, The Detroit Bus Company, and EBLI. Session time: 9:00 a.m.

1514 Washington Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48226

La Feria

4130 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

La Feria is an upcoming tapas restaurant promising to open this fall. In the meantime, there's some interesting facade work happening on the midtown storefront, so a peek inside at the progress seems worthwhile to us. Session time: 9:00 a.m.

4130 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

Anthology Coffee (Ponyride Building)

1401 Vermont Street, Detroit, MI 48216

This local coffee roaster has been slowly renovating a ground-floor spot in the Ponyride building for a while now. It's worth the trip to Corktown Shores to see the progress and get all hyped up on their fantastic caffeine offerings. Session time: 11:00 a.m.

1401 Vermont Street, Detroit, MI 48216

McClure's Pickles

8201 Saint Aubin Street, Detroit, MI 48211

Come hear Joe McClure, who founded the company with his brother Bob, describe the pickle-makers amazing success story. As part of last year's expansion, they moved production from Troy, MI to this location in Detroit near Hamtramck. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

8201 Saint Aubin Street, Detroit, MI 48211

Detroit Soup

2900 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202

The Jam Handy building, a former film studio, has been under renovation for the last few years, and welcomed the crowd-funding dinner Detroit Soup to call the it home earlier this year. Come here about creative projects that got funding in this awesome gym-like space which was bought for a mere $13,000 in 2010. Session time: 11:00 a.m.

2900 East Grand Boulevard, Detroit, MI 48202

The Work

1938 Franklin Street, Detroit, MI 48207

Located in the Elevator Building, the Work is a video production crew which recently gave us that rather awesome piece for the XGames Detroit bid. Session time: 3:00 p.m.

1938 Franklin Street, Detroit, MI 48207

Red Bull House Of Art

1551 Winder Street, Detroit, MI 48207

If you have not been to a gallery opening party here yet, then you're missing out. It is quite possibly the best basement space in Detroit. Session time: 4:30 p.m.

1551 Winder Street, Detroit, MI 48207

Curbed Detroit (PTD Office)

4240 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201

If you are reading this map, you probably know what Curbed Detroit is. If you are still unclear, stopping by in person might not help. In any case, we'll be chatting about blogs and design in the office of Patrick Thompson Design in the Auburn building. Come say hello. Session time: 1:00 p.m.

4240 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201