Detroit’s LOVE Building: A Communal Space for Joy, Belonging and Connection

The idea for the LOVE Building in Detroit began with a question asked while its founders were in line for a bathroom at a community party in 2016: What if we did more than plan events together? What if we built something together for ourselves and our community?

The people asking were the longtime leaders from the Detroit Justice Center, Detroit Disability Power and Allied Media Projects (AMP). They soon began searching for a building that could house their work and their values. After being outbid on several acquisition offers, they found a building downtown off the beaten path and purchased it in 2018. Spearheaded by Jenny Lee, the then-leader of AMP and the first executive director of the LOVE Building, the building was officially opened in 2023.

Today, the building is home to seven organizations and a number of community events based on the needs of its residents. The building offers more than just office space for its member organizations. It also acts as an experimental lab for community programming. Events have ranged from political rallies and fashion shows to baby showers and art exhibits. They recently hosted a community gathering to celebrate the success of a community member’s appearance on the nationally recognized cooking show “Chopped.”

“Almost anyone can propose an event for the space as long as it aligns with our values and is free for the community,” said Kwaku Osei, the LOVE Building’s current executive director. “We try to engage [the community].” 

The facility even includes a new recording studio that allows community members to exercise their musical muscles for free, or through a bartering system, in a state-of-the-art studio.

Regular surveying and event turnout serve as metrics for which events are deemed worth repeating and seen as most important to the communities being served. One of the best-attended programs has been “LOVE at Night.” The program hosts various local artists and performers and serves as a means of showcasing local talent. 

“It’s a monthly thing we started in September,” said Osei. “[It’s] brought in a big cross-section of the population: the elders, the youth, people across incomes. Everyone comes in.”

Even the LOVE Building’s governance structure is heavily community-led and centered. Overall governance is shared by AMP board members and the facility’s partners while a Community Advisory Council formed through a two-year engagement process guides the organization’s work based on a formal Community Benefits Agreement (CBA). They plan on expanding the Community Advisory Council assigned to manage the progress of the CBA this year to ensure that their events continue to meet the needs of those in the area. 

All of their events are fundamentally a reflection of what residents say they want most: spaces that bring people together in joy.

“The biggest thing that people wanna see is connection,” said Osei. “We’ve created an atmosphere in which people take off their masks and engage in authentic connections and some dope heartfelt moments.”

Akin Olla is a Contributing Writer with NCRC’s Communications team.

Photo courtesy of the LOVE Building team.