On a partly-cloudy, but comfortable day, our neighborhood streets were filled with visitors who came from near and
far to visit six beautiful houses, thoughtfully selected for the 2026 University District Home Tour. The
homes offered an insight into the historic nature of our neighborhood. Many visitors
commented on the beautiful plaster work, the interesting stairways, or the lovely tiles they saw.
Reconstruction and renovation of spaces were admired. Everyone we talked to came away
impressed, inspired, and filled with appreciation for the architects and craftspeople who helped to
create the University District Community.
We sold nearly 1,000 tickets, breaking the record number set in 2024! Revenue from ticket
sales and sponsorship was double what we anticipated. Expenses were about what we
anticipated. UDCA cleared about $20,000 from the event, thanks to the generous time and
talent of over 135 volunteers who took on duties including docents and greeters at the homes, set-up and take down, registration operations, and so many other tasks. Proceeds will be used to support UDCA neighborhood projects and social events.
Planning the Home Tour is a huge undertaking. We are fortunate to have neighbors who have
the skillsets and commitment to contribute in meaningful ways. Planning meetings began in October 2025,
with past chairs Dinah Dittman and Lisa Jones, who shared important information needed to
create a successful home tour. A task force was put together to curate homes and we narrowed the field to six amazing houses for the tour. After several small meetings we were ready to put out a call for volunteers needed to create a working committee. Fortunately, our first meeting in February 2026, brought together an enthusiastic group of people who were ready to commit to
a variety of important tasks. By our third meeting, we had identified leads for sponsorships, editorial, promotions and hospitality. Home owners were given a “to do list,” which included a timeline to help them organize.
Our Home Tour Committee met monthly and the momentum grew. We had a record number of sponsors, which included new contributors Gardner White, the Detroit Zoo, Cregger Plumbing, Blossoms, Federal Industrial Services, Crystal Robertson (State Farm), as well as the continued support of DTE, Hamilton Anderson, Lisa Jones Reality, Gesu Catholic Church and School, Dream Girl Detroit, People for Palmer Park, and U of D Mercy Theatre. We are also grateful for the donations of products and services from Black Light Laser Tagr, The Dakota Inn/Rathskeller, Dutch Girl Donuts, Mike’s Grocery, Savon Foods, and Trader Joe’s Royal Oak. Special thanks to All Saints Episcopal Church for hosting our Welcome Center and their continued partnership.
A special shout out goes to all of the people who worked on promotion of the Home Tour. This group began by
finding area events and places where they could personally talk with people and hand out over
3,000 Save-the-Date cards. As the summer progressed, we secured television and radio promotion, and a
great article in the Detroit Free Press. The promotion campaign ended with a social media “blitz” that was a very successful new venture for the Home Tour. Kudos also to our UDCA Communication Chair for configuring the UDCA website to sell tickets and to keep information up-to-date regarding the Home Tour.
In 2026, we brought back something we implemented in 2022, Community Tables. Local nonprofit cultural and service organizations with a presence on front lawns of the homes on the tour, and at Registration included the Detroit Zoo, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Detroit Area Agency on Aging, Opportunities Knock, Welcome Home Yoga, People for Palmer Park, Marygrove Conservancy, and University of Detroit Mercy Theatre.
Appreciation also goes out to all of the neighbors who took time to give special attention to their properties.
Our UDCA community looked terrific! Planning for the 2028 University District Home Tour will
start in 2027. If you think you might like to be involved, please email info@udca.info.
