Wagner Place

Wagner Place, a $60 million public/private investment in Downtown Dearborn between the City of Dearborn and Ford Land, is a catalytic development for the west downtown spurring growth within and all around the project. With a 34% vacancy rate in West Downtown Dearborn in 2015, Ford Land, the real estate arm of Ford Motor Company, stepped in to lead an economic turn-around in Downtown Dearborn taking dilapidated and vacant buildings in a two-block area to a three-story 150,000 square foot LEED certified pair of buildings that are now home to over 600 Ford Motor Company employees on the second and third floors, and seven retailers on the main floor.

Keeping community character in mind, they restored the former historic Wagner Hotel as part of the development, which will now be filled with restaurant-goers on the main floor and a roof top deck that overlooks the downtown. Supported by the MEDC Strategic Fund, City of Dearborn and West Dearborn DDA, the site also changes the sense of place in the downtown area by creating a new park space, Wagner Park, for community events and activities throughout the year, and it’s leading the way for biking and walkability with new streetscape improvements. The project also includes a new 373-space parking deck to service the area.

Since breaking ground in 2017, Wagner Place has sparked a new energy and reinvestment throughout the downtown, taking the vacancy rate down to 4% and setting a new tone for the future to come in Downtown Dearborn. Wagner Place was recognized by the Michigan Downtown Association as one of the Best Economic Projects in 2020.