Michigan Design Center History

Michigan Design Center (MDC) was founded in 1977 by Marvin Danto, a furniture industry veteran, and his son James Danto who both anticipated an entirely new direction for the fine furnishings industry. Acting on their instincts, they broke ground on MDC in the spring of 1975 and quickly went to work securing tenants to support their vision.

Years of planning and research went into the development of MDC in an effort to improve the functionality of the design center concept as a whole. As a result, MDC was the first single-story design campus in the country, complete with interior corridors and ample on-site, free parking, making it an easy “one-stop shopping” resource for the interior design professional.

Opening its doors for business in 1977, MDC originally boasted 44,000 square feet of showroom space. Since that time, MDC has undergone two expansion phases and currently houses more than 40 showrooms in over 215,000 square feet of space.

The showrooms of MDC serve the design trade in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Northern Kentucky and Ontario, Canada and they represent over 1,000 manufacturers from around the world. National tenants such as Baker Knapp & Tubbs, Brunschwig & Fils, Henredon Interior Design Showrooms, Robert Allen | Beacon Hill, Ann Sacks Tile & Stone, F. Schumacher & Co., Stark Carpet / Stark Fabric / Stark Wallcovering, Pindler & Pindler and Kravet / Lee Jofa Fabrics have maintained anchor positions within our building and are supported by a number of locally owned businesses. Product categories include furniture, fabric, flooring, wall covering, tile, lighting, artwork, accessories, custom cabinetry and more.

MDC is owned and operated by Danto Investment Company, developers of several other office, industrial and multi-use properties throughout the United States.