- Located east of Campus Martius, the venue will feature an 87-foot LED dome and is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
- Cosm Detroit is part of Bedrock's Development at Cadillac Square project, a scaled-back version of the pre-pandemic "Monroe Blocks" plan.
Construction of a unique venue for viewing live sports and other events in ultra-high-definition TV is now underway in downtown Detroit.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held April 17 for the 70,000-square-foot venue — Cosm Detroit — that will be situated on a vacant site east of Campus Martius that previously hosted the "Monroe Street Midway."
The venue is expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027, making Detroit the fourth city to have a Cosm location, after Los Angeles, Dallas and a future Atlanta venue.
Inside, Cosm Detroit will feature high-resolution screens and an 87-foot-diameter LED dome, designed to give visitors an immersive viewing experience. Some non-sports events that could be shown in the venue include Cirque du Soleil and art exhibitions.
The venue is also the initial segment of a new two-phase downtown development by Dan Gilbert's Bedrock real estate firm, called The Development at Cadillac Square.
Gilbert was reported to be among a group of billionaires last year who raised $250 million for the Cosm company. At the time, the firm was said to have plans to open numerous additional locations by the end of the decade.
Gilbert did not attend the groundbreaking, but the event's speakers said he will likely make it for the grand opening.
"You all know, when Dan Gilbert sees something that he truly believes is great, he will figure out a way to bring it to Detroit — and here we are," Bedrock CEO Kofi Bonner said at the groundbreaking. “Cosm will be a tremendous addition to downtown entertainment, and it will draw thousands of people here."
The Cosm website includes a description of what makes its venues unique and different from movie theaters:
"Cosm isn’t just a large display; it’s a fully engrossing and transporting experience. Cosm is distinct from other entertainment venues because our displays wrap around the entire audience, so that every seat is completely immersed in the content."
Cosm Detroit is expected have seating for 700 people under its "shared reality dome," with an adjacent lounge, outdoor deck and the market hall bringing total capacity to about 1,500 people, according to Detroit's Downtown Development Authority.
“We’re so grateful for the opportunity to be here," COSM President and CEO Jeb Terry said.
Two years ago, Bedrock announced plans to build a standard 2,000-seat concert venue on what is now the Cosm site, but changed directions last year so as not to compete with a future nearby performance venue that is planned with the $125 million Music Hallexpansion project.
Bedrock's Development at Cadillac Square is a scaled-back version of the development firm's original plan for the site, known as the "Monroe Blocks," which originated before the COVID-19 pandemic and rise of remote work that reduced demand for office space nationwide.
That original plan was heavy on new office construction, including a proposed 35-story glass and terra cotta tower and over 480 units of new housing. There was a ceremonial groundbreaking for the development in December 2018, although construction never began.
The other segments of Bedrock's revamped development plan are:
- A 34,000-square-foot TVG Market Hall to be built next door to Cosm and potentially open around the same time. The hall would be developed by London-based The Venue Group and feature various local restaurant concepts, local retail brands and a live music space.
- 250 to 280 units of new housing in a future Phase II.
- Another 42,000 square feet of retail in Phase II.
- A new parking structure.
Cosm Detroit will also be a neighbor to the 40-story Cadillac Tower, a vacant 1927 office building that Bedrock purchased in 2021.
Asked by reporters Thursday about Bedrock's plans for Cadillac Tower, Bonner said "we are still trying to understand how best to reimagine this building.”
Cosm Detroit is on the same block as the former site of the old National Theatre building, which was torn down in January 2024 to make way for the future development and last year's NFL draft main stage. However, the historic facade of the theater was carefully dismantled and put in storage for future reuse.
Two other buildings on the block were also razed in recent years to make way for the development: a six-story building at815 Bates St., known as the Pochelon Building, and a shorter neighboring building that was at1000 Farmer St.
Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 orjcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl
