Motown Museum Offers Themed Tours Before Closure for Expansion Work

The Motown Museum will host themed tours from Jan. 12 through Jan. 19. Then it shuts down, as per the Detroit Free Press. Public visits stop until spring 2027 while crews complete a $75 million expansion that adds 40,000 square feet of new space to the Detroit site.

Daily tours start at 10 a.m. and wrap up by 6 p.m. Docents guide visitors through the exhibits. Curated playlists and video clips accompany each walkthrough. Vinyl records go on sale at reduced prices, and guests can enter draws to win memorabilia from the label's storied past. Each day celebrates a different act. 

Monday belongs to the Marvelettes. Hospitality workers get discounted tickets. Teena Marie takes over Tuesday, while Stevie Wonder owns Wednesday.

The Temptations command Thursday. The Four Tops follow on Friday. Diana Ross & The Supremes anchor Saturday's schedule, drawing fans who grew up with their hits. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles close out the week Sunday, with Detroit residents receiving reduced admission. Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19 will feature immersive tours as the final opportunity before the long pause.

Guided tours won't return for more than 15 months. Construction teams need that time to finish the new building rising behind the three existing structures on West Grand Boulevard in the New Center area.

Plans for this project first surfaced in 2016. Officials shared more specifics in 2019 but later pushed back the completion date from summer 2026 because of material delays.

The new building will contain interactive exhibits. A performance theater sits inside along with a working recording studio. Expanded retail space and community gathering areas round out the addition. Construction should finish in October, with doors reopening to the public in spring 2027.

The museum launched as a nonprofit in 1985. It occupies the home that served as Hitsville U.S.A.'s headquarters and recording studio, preserving decades of musical history.

Though tours end Jan. 19, activities continue at the Esther Gordy Edwards Centre for Excellence on West Grand Boulevard. The space will host exhibits, the AMPLIFY artist development program, and summer concerts. Retail shopping remains open both in physical stores and online.

Advance reservations are encouraged. Tickets can be purchased through the box office at motownmuseum.org.