Ponyride is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

located in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Since 2011, the organization has occupied a 33,000 square foot building located at 1401 Vermont Street in the Corktown neighborhood. Founded by

Phil Cooley Phillip Cooley (28 September 1951 – 11 December 2023) was an Australian rugby league referee. Cooley began his refereeing career in the Newtown District Junior Rugby League. He was subsequently graded to referee in the New South Wales Rugby ...

and Kate Bordine, Ponyride provides workspace, educational and material resources, and networking tools to artists, entrepreneurs, craftspeople, and other nonprofits.

Description

The building Ponyride occupies was originally built in 1935 as a printing facility for the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, Maintenance, repairing, and Custom car, modification of motor ve ...

, designed by Smith, Hinchman and Grylls. Ponyride currently rents space to over 60 residents on a month-to-month lease term. The facility also includes a

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

studio, coffee shop, and event space. Most of the tenants produce work centered on a community focus, enhancing social welfare in Detroit to some capacity. For example, Ponyride served as an incubator for the

Empowerment Plan The Empowerment Plan is an American humanitarian organization, located in Milwaukee Junction, Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. The organization works to address homelessness by providing jobs to homeless women, and by manufacturing a coat that is given ...

which manufactures specialized coats that double as

sleeping bags A sleeping bag is an insulated covering for a person, essentially a lightweight quilt that can be closed with a zipper or similar means to form a tube, which functions as lightweight, portable bedding in situations where a person is sleeping o ...

for the

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

population. In 2017, Ponyride became the first Detroit

coworking Coworking is an arrangement in which workers for different companies share an office space. It allows cost savings and convenience through the use of common infrastructures, such as equipment, utilities and receptionist and custodial services, a ...

space to offer on-site

child care Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

. The foundation received more national buzz when

MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...

Adam Savage Adam Whitney Savage (born July 15, 1967) is an American special effects designer and manufacturer, fabricator, actor, educator, television personality, and producer, best known as the former co-host, with Jamie Hyneman, of the Discovery Channe ...

toured the facility for his video series Tested.com.

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

also featured Ponyride and spoke to founder Phil Cooley in their feature, "Detroit, the Most Exciting City in America?" Additionally in 2017, the Ponyride Market Summer Series became a monthly event, giving resident makers of the building a direct means of vending to the community.

References

{{reflist Non-profit organizations based in Michigan Organizations based in Detroit Coworking space providers