With over 600 commissions in his staggering 60 year career, Corrado Giuseppe Parducci didn’t design your favorite Detroit buildings; but he made them beautiful. From his architectural studios, first in Corktown and later Midtown, he proved, behind every successful architect is a team of sculptors, artisans, and designers whose skills have the ability to elevate a building's design into acclaimed art, steadfast majesty, and enduring spectacle.

Join Detroit History Tours as we explore the incredibly intricate, often humorous, always symbolic, and architecturally revolutionary contributions of architectural sculptor Corrado Parducci. A humble man who went by “Joe”, he collaborated with the who’s-who of Detroit architects (Albert Kahn, Wirt Rowland, and George D. Mason, to name a few), ornamenting many of the city’s most cherished landmarks.

Parducci used various materials, fused multiple styles, enjoyed playing with classical and contemporary forms in new, bold ways, and in doing so created a visual language all his own. His designs borrow from centuries-old traditions of architectural sculpture but are flavored by his whimsical interpretations. Join Detroit History Tours on a leisurely 1.5 mile walk in Downtown Detroit to visit some of the finest examples of Parducci’s artistry. Whether you’re new to Detroit, just visiting, or have lived your entire life in the shadows of our skyscrapers, you’ll notice details, understand iconography, and hopefully gain respect for Corrado Parducci’s incredible artistry.

This tour departs from and returns to the outdoor street corner of Griswold St. and W. Congress St. Please meet your tour guide on the sidewalk.

Meet your guide: Michael Boettcher is an urban planner with experience working for Wayne and Macomb Counties, the City of Detroit, and running a couple suburban downtown development agencies. He has served on the boards and staffs of a handful of Detroit-area community development nonprofits as well. He’s been creating and conducting tours since the early 1990s, having fallen in love with Detroit architecture and urban spaces while getting lost coming downtown in high school. Michael has sung in a handful of Michigan Opera Theater opera choruses, published a couple dozen poems, loves to show off his collection of antique Detroit architecture postcards and is very slowly building a scale model of downtown Detroit in Legos (brick donations accepted). He remembers seeing the Lions at Tiger Stadium and the Red Wings at Olympia. In May 2021, he finally made it to his 50 th state.

To best enjoy this tour guests should wear comfortable walking shoes, arrive prepared to walk approximately 1 mile over city streets, and stand for extended periods of time. Weather appropriate clothing is highly recommended. This tour is best suited for guests over the age of 12 years old, however we are happy to welcome guests as young as 8, at the discretion of their guardians.

Your order confirmation email will serve as your only ticket. Please save your email and be prepared to show it on your phone or printed to board the bus. (We do this to avoid the ticketing fees that come along with ticketing systems. The price of your ticket will remain the same throughout checkout with no added fees for tax.)

The tour departs promptly, please arrive 10 minutes before your ticketed time.

This tour departs from and returns to the outdoor street corner of Griswold St. and W. Congress St. Please meet your tour guide on the sidewalk. The Guardian Building dominates this corner and can be used at the navigation address (500 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226). Our tour guides will be wearing Detroit History Tours shirts and big ol’ smiles. Parking is available at The Buhl Parking Garage, across the street at 525 Griswold St, Detroit, MI 48226. The costs vary from 10.00-20.00 dollars; on street parking is also available for $1.50 per hour at city meters.