Famous people's places / Detroit – Downtown
Donovan Building
Closed – archive entry · 2006
Motown Records' corporate headquarters from 1968 to 1972, an Albert Kahn–designed office block demolished in 2006 before Super Bowl XL.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Donovan Building was a ten-story office block on Woodward Avenue, designed by Albert Kahn's firm and completed in 1923 for a menswear retailer. Motown Records, which had outgrown its original Hitsville U.S.A. house studio on West Grand Boulevard, moved its business operations into the Donovan Building in 1968, and founder Berry Gordy ran the label's corporate side from its offices until Motown relocated to Los Angeles in 1972. The building later stood vacant and deteriorating for decades. In January 2006, the city demolished it to clear surface parking downtown ahead of Super Bowl XL, which Detroit hosted the following month, ending the debate over whether the Motown-linked building could be saved.
- Designed by Albert Kahn's firm, completed in 1923
- Served as Motown Records' corporate headquarters from 1968 to 1972
- Berry Gordy ran Motown's business operations from its offices
- Stood vacant for decades afterward
- Demolished in January 2006 to add downtown parking before Super Bowl XL
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 2
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Berry Gordy born 1929 · record executive, producer, songwriter, film producer
Worked here
Ten-story Albert Kahn office block that served as Motown's headquarters from 1968 to 1972; demolished in January 2006 to clear parking space before Super Bowl XL.
- Suzanne de Passe born 1946 · producer, record and television executive
Worked here
Motown's Detroit headquarters when she joined the company. Demolished in 2006; the site is now part of the Little Caesars Arena plaza.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Source and former website ↗