Life Remodeled has opened Anchor Detroit, an 87,000-square-foot hub at 9740 McKinney Street on the city’s east side. The center connects nearby residents to jobs, youth programs, arts, and health services in one place. The nonprofit gave the public its first full preview in early July 2026.
Anchor Detroit is more than a renovated building. Instead, it is a bet that the right services, placed in the right neighborhood, can change a block for years. Here is what the hub offers, and why it matters for the east side.
Want more on the projects reshaping Detroit’s neighborhoods? Read our guide to Detroit Projects 2026.
What Is Anchor Detroit?
Anchor Detroit is Life Remodeled’s second Opportunity Hub. In short, it is one building where trusted nonprofits deliver the services east side families use most. It sits near I-94 and Whittier Avenue, in the heart of the Denby neighborhood.
The building offers more than 87,000 square feet. Of that, more than 50,000 square feet is leased to nonprofit partners. As a result, rents stay low for the groups doing the work. Better still, residents find what they need in one place.
Early tenants include Grand Valley State University, the Detroit College Access Network, and Metro Detroit Youth Clubs. Notably, the youth club is bringing its mentorship programs into the space. In addition, more partners are expected to fill the building over the coming year.
A Shuttered School Becomes a Neighborhood Anchor
The building has its own Detroit story. It sits on a 7.55-acre site in Denby. Before it stood empty, the property was the Winans Academy of Performing Arts. Earlier, it was Dominican High School, from 1940 to 2005. For years, it was one more closed school on a street that had already lost too much. Across town, other landmarks still face the wrecking ball, like the historic Cooley High School set for demolition.
Life Remodeled put roughly $15 million into the rebuild. Instead of tearing the school down, the nonprofit chose to reuse it. In effect, a symbol of loss became a base for opportunity. The plan also keeps an arts and culture focus, a nod to the Winans Academy that came before.
The community asked for this. In fact, the Denby Neighborhood Alliance invited Life Remodeled in, and residents helped shape the design. As a result, the neighborhood now has a modern, active space built for the people who live around it.
What Anchor Detroit Offers
Anchor Detroit organizes its work around a few core needs: jobs, youth support, health, and the arts. Every partner under the roof ties back to at least one of them.
Residents can expect access to:
- Job training and workforce development
- After-school and summer youth programs
- Mentorship for teens
- Health and wellness resources
- Arts and culture programming
- College access and family support
Because the partners share a building, one visit can do a lot. For example, a parent can sign a teenager up for a youth program and ask about job training on the same trip. That kind of one-stop access is rare here. For years, families in the neighborhood have had to chase these services across the city.
The Model Behind Anchor Detroit
Anchor Detroit runs on what Life Remodeled calls its E3M model. The letters stand for economic, educational, and environmental mobility. The idea is simple. Improve all three at once, because a job, a school path, and a safe block build on one another. Life Remodeled calls the goal a Thriving Class Community, where families feel secure and rooted.
Importantly, the approach is already tested. Life Remodeled’s first hub, the Durfee Innovation Society, sits on the west side. In fact, more than 22,000 residents take part in its programs every year. Last year, it also reported more than 850 job placements and over $16 million in new local wages. Anchor Detroit aims to prove the model can scale to a second neighborhood, and later beyond.
The money behind it reflects that ambition. For example, the State of Michigan gave $2 million to the campaign. In addition, Amazon’s total investment reaches $500,000. Together, that public and corporate backing shows growing interest in a Detroit-built model.
Why Anchor Detroit Matters for the City
Detroit’s comeback headlines usually point downtown, to towers, stadiums, and the riverfront. Anchor Detroit points somewhere else. It lands in Denby, where the 48224 zip code has long faced deep poverty and few local paths to good jobs or care. Better still, it puts that investment on McKinney Street without pushing current residents out. It also joins a run of citywide wins for people in need, like the new housing center for homeless veterans.
Ultimately, this project reflects a simple RAW Detroit belief. The city’s future is written in its neighborhoods, not just its skyline. A closed school became a hub. A quiet block gained a reason for families to gather. In short, this is the kind of progress that lasts.
If the model works here the way it worked at Durfee, Anchor Detroit will not be the last one. For the east side, it is a strong place to start.
Frequently Asked Questions About Anchor Detroit
What is Anchor Detroit? Anchor Detroit is a nonprofit community hub run by Life Remodeled on Detroit’s east side. It brings workforce training, youth programs, arts, and health and wellness services into one building for residents near the Denby neighborhood.
Where is Anchor Detroit located? Anchor Detroit is at 9740 McKinney Street in Detroit, near I-94 and Whittier Avenue. The building once housed the Winans Academy of Performing Arts and, before that, Dominican High School.
What services does Anchor Detroit offer? Anchor Detroit offers job training, after-school and summer youth programs, mentorship, arts and culture programming, college access support, and health and wellness resources. Nonprofit partners deliver these services inside the building.
Who runs Anchor Detroit? Anchor Detroit is operated by Life Remodeled, a Detroit nonprofit. It is the group’s second Opportunity Hub, after the Durfee Innovation Society on the west side.
Is Anchor Detroit open? Life Remodeled gave the first public preview of Anchor Detroit in early July 2026, and partner services are moving in now. More nonprofit tenants are expected over the coming year.
The Bottom Line
Detroit’s comeback is not only a downtown story. It is also a McKinney Street story. In the end, Anchor Detroit takes a closed school and turns it into a place where east side families can find a job, keep a kid engaged, and stay healthy close to home.
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