“The Society of Arts and Crafts was formed to bring to Detroit the best in contemporary craftsmen's work. It maintains an exhibition gallery and salesroom which is open to the public. Its educational work is the maintenance of an art school, housed in the same building. The membership of the Society consists of persons who are interested in its purposes, whether or not they are actively engaged in the practice of some branch of handicrafts.” (source: text on the back of a contemporary postcard, https://digitalcollections.detroitpubliclibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A146309)

The original home of the Society of Arts and Crafts was on the second floor of a building on Farmer Street in the center of the city.

In 1916, the Society expanded into a second, larger home designed by William B. Stratton and Maxwell Grylls on Watson Street.

In 1926, the Society of Arts and Crafts became one of the first arts and crafts organizations to offer a formal, four-year program in art. In 1933 it became one of the first art institutions to recognize the automobile as an art form. About the same time, programs in industrial design and commercial art were introduced into the curriculum. (source: https://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/about-us/history/)

The Detroit Society for Arts and Crafts moved to its third home, designed by Minoru Yamaski, in the Cultural Center of Detroit in 1958. Imagine a street flanked by tall trees and turn-of-the-century brick and stone houses. It was in this setting that Minoru Yamasaki designed a facade almost entirely of glass. In order to soften what would otherwise be a harsh exterior, Yamasaki surrounded the building by a brick wall. This wall helped what was otherwise a starkly Modern building to harmonize with its surroundings. Its perforated pattern of red bricks provides textural interest that contrasts with the smooth surface of the building's glass and steel facade.

In 1972, the Detroit Society for Arts and Crafts was granted accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and it received regional accredication from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1977.

In 1975, with the construction of the Kresge-Ford Building (right), the Detroit Society of Arts and Crafts changed its name to the Center for Creative Studies—College of Art and Design.

It is now, since 2001, the Center for Creative Studies—College of Art and Design. (source: https://www.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/about-us/history/)