Everyone has a favorite secret spot, but few are eager to share. For this year’s City Guide, we took on the challenge. Along with revealing a few of our own picks, we gathered recommendations from contributing writers, tour guides, and other insiders. And while logging in thousands of steps, we peeked behind closed doors and over balconies, and we ventured inside two completely off-the-grid locations that safeguard some of Detroit’s most precious artifacts.
Tucked away in a nondescript warehouse in southwest Detroit sit some of the Detroit Historical Society’s most prized artifacts. The 75,000-square-foot overflow storage facility is separated into three wings, each packed to capacity.
The largest wing — a World War II-era structure that has been only mildly updated — houses a collection of Detroit-connected iconic cars and carriages from the past century. The vehicles, which range from the ultra-rare 1935 Stout Scarab prototype minivan to Coleman Young’s bulletproof limo, are stored in airtight bubbles that keep them safe from the elements. You’ll also find an 1893 luxury hearse carriage, antique Detroit fire trucks, the letters from the top of Tiger Stadium above a 2024 NFL Draft sign, and relics from Boblo Island’s Log Flume ride.
The collection comprises roughly 250,000 individual items, the rest stored in the adjacent buildings. While most items — like board games, fire helmets, and fur coats — are neatly relegated to shelves and racks, surplus artifacts, such as the clockworks from old City Hall, a Herman Kiefer Hospital iron lung, Santa’s chair from Oakland Mall’s Macy’s, and a soundboard from legendary producer Jeff Mills next to a funhouse mirror from Edgewater Park can be found scattered around the space.
While these items and plenty more are in the possession of the DHS, the organization wants to make it clear that it is just the steward of these artifacts, as the true owners are the people of Detroit.
More of Hour Detroit‘s “Hidden Detroit”
Things You May Have Missed at the Detroit Institute of ArtsSports, Hats, Scenic Spots, and ArtifactsConnecting with Old Detroit and Its Boozy PastUnder the Radar RetailRyan Patrick Hooper’s Favorite Food & Drink SpotsThe Guardian BuildingHenry Ford Museum’s Artifact CollectionFishing for Secrets at the Fisher Building
Park West Museum in Southfield
Art Galleries You May Have Overlooked
Places to See the City from a Bird’s-eye View
Views from a High-rise Window-cleaning Technician
This story originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of Hour Detroit magazine. To read more, pick up a copy of Hour Detroit at a local retail outlet. Click here to get our digital edition.
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