Budget requests $10 million to remake historic armory

The Michigan House’s 2027 budget proposal includes an earmark seeking $10 million to turn the Brodhead Naval Armory in Detroit into a multiuse specialty fabrication center. The request introduced by Rep. Joseph Tate, D-Detroit, and co-sponsored by Rep. John Roth, R-Traverse City, seeks funds from state taxpayers for The Parade Company to revamp the armory, which was used as a training center during World War II.

The Parade Company hosts Detroit’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. The organization estimates that the makeover project will cost a total of $45 million.

“This transformational project will positively impact the City of Detroit, the southeast Michigan region and the entire state through the elimination of blight, the creation of a major tourist destination attraction and significant arts and education initiatives,” according to the earmark request. “The purpose of this project is to build a New Parade Studio which not only houses the creativity and production seen in everything The Parade Company does but also creates new opportunities for the community including tours, events, education, a Veterans Office, internships and jobs.”

The Parade Company reported $7,374,048 in contributions and grants on its 2024 federal 990 form. On the legislative project summary, the organization is quoted as saying, “We are currently at $13.5M with many additional requests pending.”

The project is opposed by a veterans organization that claims it would demolish important parts of the armory building.

“Another entity who has tied up the property for the past five years has not been successful with its fundraising [and] would have demolished a portion of [the] building despite [its] being on the National Register of Historic Sites and the State Historic Registry,” the Brodhead Association says on its website.

The Brodhead Association, which seeks to have the facility entirely restored, received written support from numerous organizations including the Tuskegee Airmen, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion and others, DBusiness reported in 2020. The veterans claim the Parade Company project would demolish 70% of the historically significant parts of the armory.

The Brodhead Association did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Both sides agree that the armory is in serious disrepair.

Before the project began, the armory had sat empty for more than 25 years, and “the looters had looted the looters,” Anthony Michaels, chief executive officer and president of The Parade Company, told Michigan Capitol Confidential in an interview.

Michaels noted that the veterans groups aiming to restore the building have never brought in the funds to do so, while the Parade Company plan would preserve what is left of the artwork and other important historical items still in the armory.

He told CapCon that The Parade Company plans to use the $10 million to turn the armory into Detroit’s version of Kern Studios in Louisiana, which manufactures products for Mardi Gras and other events.

Michaels said The Parade Company will hire artists, tour guides, facilities management, security and others. He did not give an exact number of jobs the armory project would produce. The project also includes a plan to host summer camps.

The armory project will help deal with the ruin of the building and blight in the surrounding area, Williams said. He noted that the Detroit Pistons are building a WNBA facility near the armory.

The Parade Company was awarded $3.5 million for renovations from the federal government, according to The Detroit News. Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democratic member of Michigan’s congressional delegation, was responsible for securing the funds. The money was part of a $460 billion package Congress passed in 2024.