OCTOBER 7 • 2021 | 33

T

he William Davidson
Foundation and the
Detroit Riverfront
Conservancy announced
that a new Sport House in
the future 22-acre park on
Detroit’s West Riverfront
will be named after Detroit
businessman, philanthropist
and former NBA Detroit
Pistons owner William “Bill”
Davidson (1922-2009).
With its most recent
commitments to the
Conservancy, the William
Davidson Foundation has
now granted more than
$11 million to the ongoing
transformation of Detroit’s
international riverfront into
a beautiful and accessible
world-class gathering place
for all.
The William Davidson
Sport House will add to
the public offerings on
the Detroit Riverfront and
features a raised canopy with
skylight that provides two
public open-air basketball
courts and flexible space for a

range of programs and events
that will welcome visitors
from all walks of life.
Designed by award-
winning Ghanaian-British
architect Sir David Adjaye,
who also designed the
National Museum of
African American History
and Culture, the William
Davidson Sport House is
slated for completion in 2023.
The Sport House will be part
of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr.
Centennial Park, also named
after a renowned professional
sports team owner (NFL’s
Buffalo Bills), businessman
and philanthropist.
“No project truly
connects the region and
plays a more central role
in Detroit’s resurgence
than the revitalization of
more than five miles of the
Detroit Riverfront from the
Ambassador Bridge to Belle
Isle,” said Darin McKeever,
president and CEO of
the William Davidson
Foundation.

The Foundation considers
the William Davidson Sport
House a fitting tribute to its
founder, as Davidson owned
the Pistons, the WNBA’s
Detroit Shock and NHL’s
Tampa Bay Lightning pro
sports franchises and is
widely considered a visionary
in bringing together sports,
venues and the community.
His sports honors included
election to the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall
of Fame and selection as an
inaugural inductee into the
Michigan Jewish Sports Hall
of Fame.
Founded in 2005,
the William Davidson
Foundation’s grantmaking
has accelerated since its
founder’s death in March
2009 and today it is among
the five largest Michigan-
based foundations. The
Foundation’s priorities —
including its focus on Detroit
and Southeast Michigan —
reflect Mr. Davidson’s.
“The last year and a half
have brought so much of our
region’s most critical and
under-appreciated assets into
sharper focus: our resilient
small business owners
and entrepreneurs, our
inspiring arts and cultural
institutions, and the public
parks and other gathering
places where we have found
comfort and connection,”
added McKeever. “These are
areas the William Davidson
Foundation knows well,
and we look forward to
continuing our work with our
grantees and other partners
to ensure the success of the
people and places Southeast
Michigan needs for a bright
future.”
In total, the William
Davidson Foundation has
now committed more than
$500 million in grants since
its inception in 2005.

DETROIT RIVERFRONT CONSERVANCY

Future Detroit
Riverfront Park
Sport House to
Be Named for
Bill Davidson

JN STAFF