History of Hannan



In 1925, after the death of her husband William, Luella Hannan founded the Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation to serve aged persons in Detroit. Today, celebrating over 75 years of service to seniors, the Foundation’s reach extends into the city’s tri-county area.

During its first five decades, the Foundation provided comprehensive lifetime assistance to hundreds of low-income seniors living in their own homes. Then in 1971, the Foundation built Hannan House, a four-story licensed home for the aged to provide an affordable living environment that promoted independence. In that same year, The John Scudder Foundation for Old People merged with the Hannan Foundation. Founded in 1925 from a bequest by John Scudder, its purpose was also to aid seniors. Since its 1931 incorporation, it has operated with the same board of trustees and staff as the Hannan Foundation.

In 1993, the Hannan Foundation conducted a comprehensive study of Detroit seniors living in the central city. The results indicated that the single-room housing provided at Hannan House was no longer in emand. Instead, the study showed that access to services was a major problem for seniors. In response, and after consultation with senior service experts, the Foundation converted the Hannan House into a centralized location for seniors to access services to meet their medical, social, financial and housing needs. Today, the Foundation continues to initiate, operate and support a number of programs and services  in areas including advocacy, creative aging and  service coordination and case management in both senior housing and the community.

Mission and Board of Trustees



The Luella Hannan Memorial Foundation believes that caring for our elders is a central value of our community.

Therefore, the Foundation’s mission is to enhance the quality of life for senior citizens in Metropolitan Detroit – with a focus on the City of Detroit – by identifying their unmet physical, social and financial needs and maintaining facilities and creating programs that both address these needs and preserve the dignity of seniors.

Board of Trustees

President: N. Charles Anderson
Vice President: Ruth Dunkle, PhD
Secretary: Hon. Freddie Burton, Jr.
Treasurer: Sandra Bulger

Jan Bayer
Marcia Baum
Kathleen Graham
John Kerr
Mary Meyer Neff
Ben Robinson
Joel Steinberg, MD

What is Hannan House?

Hannan House, is the home of the Hannan Foundation and our partner agencies.

Constructed in 1971 in Detroit’s University Cultural Center, Hannan House was originally a residential home for senior citizens. In 1993, after careful consideration and study of the changing needs of Detroit’s older adults, the Hannan Foundation converted the 45,000 square foot building into a “multi tenant nonprofit center”. In addition to being home for the Foundation’s offices and programs, Hannan House provides centrally located high quality office, meeting and program space to a number of nonprofit organizations. The building also houses the Hannan Cafe and the Ellen Kayrod Gallery.

Today, Hannan House is a prime example of adaptive reuse and the revitalization of Detroit. From a residence serving a relatively few older adults it has become a vibrant center for services and programs for thousands of persons.

If you are interested in more information on how Hannan House Nonprofit Center operates, renting office space for your organization or taking advantage of the faclities for a meeting or event please contact Tim Wintermute, at extension 17 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it