DSO launches effort to activate secluded courtyard behind The Max

While a dozen cultural institutions move forward with a plan to activate the outdoor space in Detroit’s 83-acre anchor cultural district a mile up Woodward Avenue, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is doing the same for a courtyard in its backyard.

The orchestra has secured over $1 million in grants for summer programs and planning efforts aimed at creating a more permanent stage in the secluded courtyard, which is tucked behind the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center on Parsons Street between Woodward and Cass avenues.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation “have shown interest in seeing us take advantage of this green space we own,” said DSO President and CEO Anne Parsons.

“We’re going to go through a reimaging process for that space,” she said.

The effort aligns with the work of the cultural district to activate public spaces for the benefit of the community, she said.