The Kresge Foundation

01 / The story of this place

Make time for these

Sebastian S. Kresge built a chain of five-and-dime stores that grew into the retailer later renamed Kmart, and in 1924 he used part of that fortune to set up a private foundation in Detroit dedicated to expanding opportunity in struggling communities. The Kresge Foundation grew over the following century into one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States, eventually moving its headquarters from the city to Troy in suburban Oakland County. It remains deeply tied to Detroit's more recent history, having put tens of millions of dollars into projects like the Detroit RiverWalk, the QLine streetcar, and the city's post-bankruptcy "grand bargain" that helped protect pensions and the Detroit Institute of Arts' collection. The foundation isn't a public attraction itself, but its fingerprints are all over the riverfront and downtown spaces many visitors already walk through.

1. Founded in Detroit in 1924 by S. S. Kresge, founder of the Kmart chain
2. Grew into one of the largest foundations in the United States
3. Headquartered today in Troy, Oakland County
4. Major funder of the Detroit RiverWalk and QLine
5. Helped fund Detroit's 2014 bankruptcy "grand bargain"