Detroit Techno Museum Searches for Location After Packard Plant Development Halts

The Museum of Detroit Electronic Music needs a new home. Mayor Mary Sheffield scrapped the Packard Plant redevelopment plan in late March, leaving MODEM without a site. Back in December, the museum had been announced as part of Packard Park, a mixed-use development planned for the abandoned factory grounds.

Adriel Thornton founded the museum and serves as its director. He insists the city hasn't killed the project. "The main point is that the city hasn't canceled the museum," Thornton said, according to the Detroit Free Press. "They can't. This is ours."

Sheffield explained that the Packard developers' letter of intent had expired. The city now wants to examine other possibilities for the property. Developers Mark Bennett and Oren Goldenberg learned in March that their plans had stalled because the mayor's administration wanted to "explore a broader range of redevelopment options," per a mayoral spokesman.

The proposed Packard Park envisioned a $50 million, 28-acre development. Plans included a manufacturing facility, housing, a skating park, and the museum. During techno's infancy, the abandoned factory hosted underground parties.

Thornton conceived the museum in 2020. Exhibit 3000, a collection of Detroit techno artifacts at Submerge Records, sparked his vision. When pioneers such as Mike Huckaby, Kelli Hand, and Amp Fiddler died in recent years, the idea became pressing. "An idea like MODEM started feeling much more necessary," he said. "What entity here is uplifting and preserving that legacy?"

The nonprofit project plans to cast a wide net. Hip-hop artists such as J. Dilla and Eminem will be recognized alongside techno musicians. Thornton, a longtime event promoter and key figure on the city's techno scene, said techno music was "a sound that changed the world." Young Black artists born in Detroit created the genre.

Thornton and his team have been scouting locations in what he calls "the greater downtown area." Midtown's cultural district is among the possibilities. There's still a chance MODEM ends up back in the Packard plans if the city revives them.

Thornton expects a crowdfunding campaign to launch in May. He pointed to the Motown Museum, now undergoing its own $75 million expansion, as a guiding light. "Detroit deserves world-class institutions, and we deserve to have our music and culture celebrated," he said. "It just makes sense."

Updates on the techno museum's status and fundraising will be posted at modemdet.com.