It’s a big month for the Library Street Collective as its new cultural centre launches on 18 May in the heart of Detroit’s Little Village. This 3.5-acre neighbourhood art campus transforms The Shepherd church into two new art galleries, a performance space and a library, while its grounds host an expansive outdoor sculpture park and community space, complete with a skate park designed by artist McArthur Binion and skate legend Tony Hawk.
But that’s not all.
There’s another hidden gem within the complex, waiting to be discovered by fortunate guests. The Shepherd’s former rectory has been reimagined as an intimate art-inspired boutique bed & breakfast, ALEO.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
Photography: Jason Keen. Courtesy of Library Street Collective.
ALEO is an acronym for the Angel, Lion, Eagle, and Ox, once painted as a mural inside the former Good Shepherd church. The Romanesque-style church dates back to 1912 and was in operation until 2016, meaning the property was in relatively good condition when Library Street Collective founders Anthony and JJ Curis acquired the site for adaptive reuse. While turning it into a B&B, they focused on maintaining the historical character of the building and its connection to the adjacent church—all while putting artwork front and centre.
The Curises enlisted designer Holly Jonsson for ALEO’s interiors, which have a new layout that favours communal spaces. On the first floor, there is a living room, library, and sunroom. Food is integral to sharing, so the kitchen has been upgraded, and there’s a large indoor dining room as well as an outdoor dining terrace.
Jonsson opted for a ‘timeless’ colour and furniture palette that complements, rather than competes, with the hanging artworks, which will be rotated in and out regularly. All 30 artists in ALEO’s collection are based in Detroit or have roots in the city. Works include a digital jacquard weave wall hanging by Qualeasha Wood, a quilt by Morgan Bouldes made with gathered clothing, and portraiture by Davariz Broaden and Conrad Egyir, Cydney Camp and Gary Tyler.
Furniture, meanwhile, was largely sourced at estate sales with notable pieces by Saarinen and Eames and chairs upholstered in fabric by Nick Cave in collaboration with Knoll.
ALEO’s four guest suites are open to visiting artists, partners, and the public. A fifth suite, located on the second floor, is reserved for Lillian Elliott, ALEO’s Director and Associate Director for the Modern Ancient Brown Foundation (as is a third-floor apartment for the MABF’s visiting fellows—BIPOC scholars, thinkers, writers, and researchers of the arts).
ALEO guests can enjoy the gallery next door and the landscaped grounds of the Charles McGee Sculpture Park, which include walkways, seating areas, and artworks. Soon, the church’s former garage will open to the public as a bar, playfully dubbed Father Forgive Me.
