After a months-long legal battle, the city of Birmingham has officially purchased The Community House, the Oakland County community’s nearly century-old institution.
The building at 380 S. Bates St. was bought for $5.2 million with the money coming from the city’s unassigned general fund, said Mayor Clinton Baller. It will operate it through the City of Birmingham Community House Foundation, which was established to oversee the building, according to a city news release.
“This extraordinary purchase marks the end of one era, and the beginning of another,” Baller said in the release. “For more than 100 years, residents of Birmingham considered the house their home, and this purchase assures that it will remain so.”
The building dates back to 1930 and has been used by The Community House Association for child care and community programs. The association announced in November 2025 it planned to sell the building because it was transitioning to the Birmingham Area Community Foundation.
The city sued the association, arguing that deed restrictions required the building to be used as a community center. A trust executed in 1930 prohibited a sale or transfer to a private interest if the association were to be dissolved, the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit stopped the sale of The Community House to the United Jewish Federation of Detroit. The association then filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March.
Birmingham officials first confirmed the association had accepted a pending offer from the city in May.
The city created the Community House Foundation as a 501(c)(3) to manage the building. The foundation board includes two city commissioners, including Mayor Baller, as well as two non-voting members and seven at-large members. They were appointed June 22, according to the city’s news release.
“The (foundation) will manage the Birmingham Community House in accordance with its mission,” Baller said. “We expect to retain a daycare, continue to host events such as weddings and meetings, and rebuild the programming that endeared and bound our community. The board will operate under the Michigan Open Meetings Act, ensuring an appropriate and unprecedented level of transparency.”
mbryan@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Birmingham finalizes purchase of Community House
Reporting by Max Bryan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Max Bryan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
