School, Midtown, since 1888
Clay Office and Conference Center
Standing, closed
- Opened
- 1888
- Standing
- 138 years
Designed by J.B. Tarleton
The Clay Office and Conference Center has stood on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Midtown since 1888, 138 years and counting. Who built it, what makes it special and how to see it for yourself.
Clay Office and Conference Center today, from the street
What is there now
Standing, closed
- Closed Source: Historic Detroit
We checked building permits, sales, listings and the city's blight and demolition files on October 25, 2026. Nothing new at this address in the last two years.
The story
The Clay Office and Conference Center opened in 1888, as Detroit's lumber, stove and shipbuilding money went into brick and stone.
J.B. Tarleton drew the plans.
Its doors are closed for now, but the building still stands.
Go see it at 453 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Photos never get the scale right.
Timeline
- 1888 Built Designed by J.B. Tarleton
- 2026 Today Standing, closed
Where it is
453 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
On this map
- 1 Clay Office and Conference Center This place
- 2 The Clay School 50 ft
- 3 Cass-Davenport Historic District 440 ft
- 4 Clarence M. Burton House 0.1 mi
- 5 Architects Building 0.1 mi
- 6 Coronado Apartments 0.2 mi
- 7 Robert M. and Matilda Kitch Grindley House 0.2 mi
- 8 Manhattan Apartments 0.2 mi
- 9 Hotel Stevenson 0.2 mi
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
Who made it
More from Detroit in the 1880s
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![Cadillac Hotel, [Hotel Cadillac and Washington Boulevard, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4323-2196-thumb-ce55ea75dc.jpg)
Cadillac Hotel
Hotel, built 1888, Italian, by John Scott, demolished 1923
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
![Detroit Museum of Art, Art museum [Detroit Museum of Art], Detroit, Mich.](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4407-2249-thumb-f19f2910c9.jpg)
Detroit Museum of Art
Building, built 1888, Richardsonian Romanesque, by James Balfour, demolished 1960
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Grace Hospital
Building, built 1888, by Gordon W. Lloyd, demolished 1979
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
-
Bagley Memorial Fountain
Monument, built 1887, Romanesque
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Globe Tobacco Building
Building, built 1889, Richardsonian Romanesque, by William Scott & Co.
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
First Unitarian Church
House of worship, built 1890, Romanesque revival, by Donaldson & Meier, demolished 2014
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
It is in Midtown. See the neighborhood's homes, pros and story.
-
The Clay School
School
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
50 ft
-
Cass-Davenport Historic District
Historic district
Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
440 ft
- Clarence M. Burton House Built 1914, in Boston-Edison 0.1 mi
-
Architects Building
Building, built 1924, Neoclassical
Photo: Andrew Jameson at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.1 mi
-
Coronado Apartments
Building, built 1894, Romanesque Revival, by William S. Joy
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.2 mi
-
Robert M. and Matilda Kitch Grindley House
Historic home, Colonial Revival
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.2 mi
- Manhattan Apartments Building, built 1905, Jacobethan, by Pollmar & Ropes 0.2 mi
-
Hotel Stevenson
Hotel
Photo: Andrew Jameson at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
0.2 mi
Photo credits
Every photo on this page is used under its license, named here with its author and a link to the original.
- Clay Office and Conference Center from the street today Photo: Street View, 2026
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.