Jam Handy

What a beautfiul place to get married. They have so much room and such beautfiul grounds. The grassy knoll outside was where the ceremony was. It perfectly fit all 150 of us. Then the inside; plenty of boogie approved space, beautiful lucious plants lining the ceiling windows, their own amazing dance ready sound system, and perfect little spots for the bar, people to hang during cocktail and before the ceremony. Truly an amazing place with a rich Detroit history

Eclectic event space with boho vibes. Extremely large event space with exposed brick walls and lots of plant life. For me, is not the kind of venue to hold a super fancy formal black tie event but a great space for any type of artsy of event or concert. Located on East Grand Blvd just east of Woodward. Lots of free street parking available.

This place is beautiful!! There is so much space for events including a dinning hall, dance area, and two nice outdoor spaces. I was here for a friends wedding and it was the perfect spot.

Beautiful space for our eclectic wedding. Tons of greenery inside and out. I mean, you hardly even need to bring decoration for this place, it is THAT COOL. Simeon is very kind and helpful. We had a small ceremony in the courtyard and hosted our dinner in the main room and dancing in the back room. Girls got ready in the loft and boys got ready on the main floor in the convertible room. There were plenty of bathrooms, including wheelchair accessible. Just a word to the wise, it can be incredibly hot in the summer and there is only one small room with AC in the loft. We got lucky and the high was 84 degrees on our August wedding day and it was perfect with the large doors open. Renting AC is very expensive and you have to keep the doors closed. We were willing to risk the heat to save the money, but I wouldn’t want to if it had been any hotter than 85. Otherwise, if you want a super cool venue in Michigan that is relatively affordable and isn’t a barn or banquet hall, I highly recommend.

The Jam Handy was such a lovely and photogenic venue for our wedding welcome party. The staff was extremely helpful during our two tours and during the event itself. The lofted ceilings, string lights, and plentiful plants just makes this venue magical. Photo credit: Jack Hoyle Photography

The Jam Handy is such a great event space. I have photographed a number of weddings there and each time it is an absolute treat. Such a cool, unique space that can be transformed into whatever you like or as little as you desire. It's also ideally located for pictures in and around Detroit. If you're looking for a one of a kind space for your event, this is the place.

It's a very nice venue for weddings (or other stuff, I imagine...). The only problem is parking. They do provide valet, but I've always been a self-serve kind of guy. Fortunately, i got there early enough to park on E Grand Blvd in front of the church next door.

Went to a wedding there tonight, it’s a fabulous venue. Everyone had a blast and the interior is amazing! The inside retains its rich history but is beautifully decorated with tropical plants, ferns, etc. Good food, company, music and dance can’t be beat!

Hands down, this is such a great place to not only visit but have any function at a large scale that you want to have. We plan to have our wedding ceremony here after exploring a great location so close to the community we call home.

#DamnJamHandy If I could describe my aunts overall wedding experience in three words, they would be horrible, deplorable, and racist! During the entire wedding they were walking around being intrusive. The day before the cermony, we came to decorate and placed a special made decal on thr floor for the bride and groom. When we arrived for the ceremony, they informed the bride that they removed it. Don't waste your time renting from #DamJamHandy they're racist and unprofessional.

The Jam Handy is a fascinating venue where Nate and I attended a wedding recently. Located kind of in what felt like the middle of nowhere, there's not a lot of parking nearby but street parking is available and you may have to walk a bit. There is a small parking lot at the Jam Handy, but we weren't really sure if we could park there, even for the rehearsal the day before the wedding. The space is historic and you can read about it online, but it served as a sound stage for the Jam Handy Organization, which specialized in industrial films and filmstrips for General Motors and the United States Armed Forces. The venue itself is a bit rustic and industrial, and serves as a blank canvas for whatever vision you have for your event. In this case, it was a wedding with lots of beautiful flowers and floral arrangements and green plants everywhere. The bar when you entered was a great touch, and guests were able to have a glass of wine before moving to the ceremony room, which had a floral backdrop. This space was turned into the late night dance party area as well. There isn't much around this venue, so don't plan on a lot of bar hopping nearby before your event. In fact, most of the bars didn't open until 5 pm on Friday, the day of the wedding. The only other downfall of the venue was having to go downstairs to use the restroom. There is one gender neutral restroom on the main floor but it was occupied 99% of the time I tried the door. Just something to note for people with mobility issues, high heels, etc. I also noticed some uneven areas in the floors. Overall I had a great time at this venue and was impressed with how it was transformed from the rehearsal time to the wedding itself! Sometimes I think spots like this are a little too much of a blank space for someone like me, who lacks creative vision to turn a place like this into something really beautiful. However, with the right team and vision, it can be exceptional!

Very nice relaxed-feel indoor facility and outdoor area. The experience was the perfect place for a perfect wedding. Shout out to a few companies that provided amazing items and services for the wedding... Detroit Dye House (beautiful decorations hand-dyed in Detroit) Traveling Chef Catering (cool set up with delicious bride/groom meal selections) Blessed Blooms Flower Shop and Gifts (gorgeous silk garland and teardrop falling flowers) Detroit Dye House https://www.facebook.com/brightlytwistedwonder?mibextid=9R9pXO Traveling Chef Catering https://www.facebook.com/TravelingChefCatering1977?mibextid=9R9pXO Blessed Blooms https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078713300183&mibextid=9R9pXO Note: no air conditioning so prepare for those summer events

Came for an open house type event; it's a beautiful open large space with wood floors, exposed brick, skylights and a balcony with lots of green plants in a large front window upstairs. Out back is an alley to hang out in with greenery, and a few benches. There is no parking lot, but lots of street parking is available. It's just on the sketch side of the New Center area. I am pretty sure this is an affordable rental space, especially for prices in the downtown area. Be aware, though, the bathroom situation is a bit rough. You have to go downstairs into a basement area where there is a single old little bathroom. If I were having an event here, I'd rent a fancy port-o-potty trailer and park it in the alley out back. That would work perfectly. Overall, the way it was set up for this event was lovely; very urban chic. Photos turned out great. You could do a lot with the space.

First time coming to this space for a wedding. It was so f*cking cool. I text all my friends with daughters to remember this place. I could not recommend it more

Jam Handy is a pretty cool event space due east of New Center on Grand River. I've been to several events here, from conferences to markets to parties and competitions and they've all been great. The space is definitely rustic/industrial but it adds to its charm for sure. Love the history behind the building too (former home of a film studio that made films for GM, the U.S. Army during WW2, etc) so I'm glad to see the building being revitalized vs. continuing to fall into disrepair. Parking can be a little annoying during high volume events. No air conditioning so come dressed accordingly during summer months.

The Jam Handy is a hidden local gem-of-a-venue. The owner, Simeon, is very personable and great to work with! It was a piece of cake to work out the accommodations. A little hard to contact initially, as the website doesn't have too much info. I recently found out that the Jam Handy actually has AMAZING history attached to it. It's named after a guy named Jam Handy (surprise!), who was an Olympic swimmer in the early 20th century. He started the Jam Handy Organization to produce training films for the auto-industry! Later, the organization produced thousands of training films for the army in WW2. Now, it's a bad-ass event space. Hosting events from weddings, film showings, epic dance battles and more! There's a small parking lot and also free street parking on Grand Blvd. If you get the chance to go here...go!

Awesome venue!! It's spacious and very clean. The dance floor was a perfect size . It had a different but nice atmosphere/ decor.

Beautiful space. Our conference attendees were wowed by its uniqueness. The five stars goes to Simeon, who is incredibly accommodating and helpful. Everything was set up according to our directions. Note that it gets pretty chilly in the winter. There is a heating system but the heat doesn't completely disperse through every corner of the room. Also, the projector is unable to project very fine words, so make sure that your text is big enough on the slideshow!

Does anyone know how to contact the owner? I've been trying to look for any information but can't find anything online. Please help.

I would love nothing more than to have my wedding here, but there is no contact information for the venue ANYWHERE! Someone help. please!

A very cool old building with a lot of personality. Only downside is it gets pretty warm in there in the summer. Lack of air and fans make it pretty uncomfortable when's you're dressed for a wedding.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the jam handy as a venue space. We had our wedding there and our guests were completely wowed by the uniqueness of the space. People said it was out of the box, different, and cool. Simeon, the owner, is the BEST to work with. He is accommodating, easy going, and approachable. He takes a lot of the rules and stuffiness out of the equation and is very generous with the space and his things. We just love the jam handy!!!

My best friend got married here this past weekend and I can say nothing but AMAZING things. The building itself is raw yet absolutely beautiful. We were able to transform the bare spare into a magical wedding experience. Every wedding guest was surprised and delighted as they walked into this unique building. Every person I spoke to throughout the evening couldn't stop talking about how cool they thought the building was and how excited they were to find this hidden gem in the city. A++ Also I must comment on the owner, he was extremely helpful and wonderful to work with. I would recommend having an event in this space solely because of how awesome he was. He helped execute the set-up and strike of the event without hesitation. Having an owner physically get on a ladder to help is something you just don't see anymore... His kind gestures and professionalism definitely didn't go unnoticed. Thank you!

Got a chance to check out this beautiful old industrial space during the holidays. It's a fantastic glimpse into Detroit's past, with a promise of the flash-mob future that the city is embracing. The Jam Handy has been repurposed from it's original incarnation as film studio, to it's current standing as a community structure for art happenings, food bazaars, microgranting dinners, think-tank space... It's generally a welcome spot for any type of pop-up or event you can name. Beautiful to think of all they have to offer. To the founders and those engaged in restoring and retro-fitting the Jam Handy as a space for culture and happenings, many thanks!

We had our wedding at The Jam Handy last month and it was perfect. The owner is very responsive and flexible, so you can transform the space to meet the needs and personality of your event. Many of our guests said it was one of the coolest places they've been for a wedding. I've been here for other events as a guest, too, and really appreciate how supportive the owners are of community events and artists.

Thanks to the first reviewer! I had no idea I was passing this place on a regular basis. I attended a SEMCOG event in this cool community space. Street parking in an area that is not the prettiest, but I would love to attend more events here.