Motown Museum to Reopen Hitsville Tours
Hitsville, U.S.A. resumes tours on December 17, 2026, after nearly 11 months of renovation work.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in R&B
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The Motown Museum will reopen Hitsville, U.S.A. to tours on December 17, 2026, after the site closed in January 2026 for renovation. The reopening is part of the museum's $75 million expansion.
Why it matters
The reopening restores public access to the historic Hitsville house in Detroit, the centerpiece of the Motown Museum campus. The renovation reimagined the Studio A visitor experience to preserve its original flooring, walls and acoustic environment.
The Motown Museum's $75 million expansion includes a 40,000-square-foot Motown Experience complex behind the historic Hitsville house. The extraction does not detail how the expansion budget is allocated across the Hitsville renovation and the planned complex.
The players
Motown Museum
The Detroit institution founded in 1985 preserves the history of the record label that Berry Gordy built from the Hitsville house on West Grand Boulevard.
Robin Terry
Terry serves as chairwoman and CEO of the Motown Museum, overseeing the institution's expansion and the reopening of its historic campus.
The details
Hitsville, U.S.A., the former photo studio Berry Gordy bought in 1959, has been closed since January 2026 for work that lasted nearly 11 months. The museum reimagined the visitor experience in Studio A to preserve its original character, and a new permanent installation titled "Hello Detroit" now occupies the second floor.
Timeline
January 2026: Hitsville, U.S.A. closed for renovation.
December 17, 2026: Hitsville, U.S.A. tours resume.
June 2027: The Motown Experience is scheduled to open.
Legacy
Hitsville, U.S.A. was Berry Gordy's first Motown property, bought in 1959 and later the center of the label's recording operation on West Grand Boulevard. The reopened tours return visitors to the building where that catalog was made.
Visitors can tour Hitsville, U.S.A. starting December 17, 2026, with the restored Studio A and the new "Hello Detroit" installation on the second floor. The Motown Experience complex follows in June 2027.
The takeaway
Readers planning a Detroit visit can mark December 17, 2026 for Hitsville tours and June 2027 for the larger Motown Experience. The museum's renovation shows how a historic recording site can be expanded without losing its original acoustic character.
What happens next
Hitsville, U.S.A. resumes tours on December 17, 2026, and The Motown Experience is scheduled to open in June 2027.
Further reading
Explore more R&B coverage to see how Motown shaped the genre's history.
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