"A reminder that there will be no Christmas at the Mansion this year at Gordon Hall, as construction is underway there. We hope to be back next year." Caryl Burke wrote that in the president's letter of the Dexter Area Historical Society's Fall 2026 newsletter. In the same letter she points to a new place to look for the society this December: "watch for the DAHS Christmas tree in Monument Park when the display goes up."
So for one season, the historical society's December leaves the mansion. Its tree goes up in Monument Park, and its bazaar moves to the museum on Inverness Street. The town's two biggest December evenings both happen outdoors downtown. The empty house has a purpose, though. The work going on inside it is what lets the mansion reopen with an interior closer to the one it had in the 1860s.
What drew more than 700 people last December
Start with what Dexter is missing this year. The Dexter Area Historical Society says its 2025 holiday events at Gordon Hall drew more than 700 people, "in spite of the cold and sometimes icy weather." Visitors ranged in age from 9 months to 90 years. They had tea, visited Santa and his elf Cindy Sue, did a scavenger hunt through the Christmas Village Collection, and made gingerbread houses.
The Sun Times News laid out the 2025 schedule. Christmas at the Mansion ran for one day, Saturday, December 6, with Santa from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., gingerbread-house making from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and a suggested $5 donation. A Christmas tea on December 7 had seatings at 1 and 4 p.m., with tickets at $30 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. Evening open houses followed on December 12 and 14.
The society also wrote that many of those visitors came "to visit an old friend before DAHS embarks on a massive interior restoration project on the house in 2026," and added that "it won't look the same when you see it the next time." That restoration is why the house is closed now.
Why the house has to close before it can reopen
The interior most visitors know isn't the original one. The society says the University of Michigan made "extensive changes" to Gordon Hall in 1950, and it describes the work underway now as removing that 1950s interior. The project will bring back Gordon Hall's original floor plan, completely finish the central hall, and install a lift.
The society has detailed records of what the house looked like before 1950. In 1934, the Historic American Buildings Survey, a Depression-era program, hired architects to draw Gordon Hall in detail, and those drawings are on file at the Library of Congress. DAHS bought the house in 2006, and a Rehabilitation Master Plan followed in 2011. The third guide is the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The society calls the work "Rehabilitation (not Preservation)" because the original interior was removed in 1950. It describes the goal as restoring the building's historic character while preparing it for "a new life as a venue for historical and educational exhibits, community events, and private events."
The project took several years to fund. In April 2025, WEMU reported that the society was looking for grants to cover electrical work, a lift, and a historical architect, and that federal cuts were making that money harder to get. Two months later, The Sun Times News reported a $491,200 Community Museums Grant from the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. The same report said the society had raised and spent more than $2.4 million on buying and restoring the house since 2006.
Here is how this phase is paid for, according to the society:
| Piece of the 2026 project | Figure |
|---|---|
| Estimated cost of this phase | About $1 million |
| State Community Museums Grant | $491,200, about half the cost |
| 2025 Challenge Grant goal | $50,000 |
| Raised toward that goal as of March 31, 2026 | $49,024 |
| Hoped-for completion | February 2027 |
The society says the other half of the cost comes from donors and from the people who attend its events. That includes the Gordon Hall Gala, set for November 14 at Columbus Hall with live music, a buffet dinner and a silent auction. The annual Gordon Hall Raffle has also added up over time. The society says its share has totaled $95,247 since 2013.
Where the historical society shows up instead
Without the mansion, the society's December moves to two places close to downtown.
The first is Monument Park, at Baker Road and Main Street. On Friday, December 4, Aubree's Dexter and the Dexter Area Chamber of Commerce host Light Up Dexter, a free event where Santa leads a countdown at 6 p.m. The Dexter Lions Club provides the trees, according to Destination Ann Arbor's event listing. The DAHS tree that Burke mentions will be part of that display.
The second is the Dexter Area Museum at 3443 Inverness Street. On Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., the Dexter Heritage Guild holds the museum's Holiday Bazaar and Bake Sale. The fall newsletter lists handmade items, drawings, gift shop specials, Dexter Coverlets at a special price, and baked goods donated by members and friends of the society. Donated baking can be dropped off at the museum on Friday, December 4, between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The museum building has its own history. It is the original 1880s St. Andrews church. When the congregation built a new church in 1974, it gave the old building to the newly formed Dexter Area Museum, which moved it across the street to where it stands today. The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. through November, and its current exhibit is "Footprints of History," a look at shoes in Dexter over the years.
Dexter's December, weekend by weekend
Without a mansion weekend in the middle, Dexter's December events fall into three clusters, mostly downtown.
December 1 to 6: lights, the bazaar, and an orchestra
- Tuesday, December 1: The Dexter District Library's Winter Reading Challenge for kids and teens starts and runs through January 15, 2027.
- Wednesday, December 2, 7 p.m.: The library hosts a Holiday Brunch cooking program on Zoom.
- Friday, December 4, 6 p.m.: Light Up Dexter at Monument Park.
- Saturday, December 5, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The Dexter Winter Farmers Market is open, and its schedule names Full Circles for the day. The Heritage Guild bazaar runs the same morning at the museum until 3:30 p.m.
- Sunday, December 6, 4 to 6 p.m.: The Dexter Community Orchestra's Holiday Collage at 2200 North Parker Road. Last year, December 6 was the date of Christmas at the Mansion.
December 11 and 12: the library and the parade
- Friday, December 11, 11 a.m.: The library's Ho Ho Holiday Show, a drop-in program for all ages.
- Saturday, December 12, 6 p.m.: The Dexter Light Parade on Main Street. The Chamber accepts up to 60 entries. Entry is free for Chamber members and $25 for nonmembers. Last year, December 12 was one of the evening open houses at Gordon Hall. This year the evening event is on Main Street.
December 19: one more market morning
- Saturday, December 19, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The Winter Farmers Market's last December date, with Gillian Miller and Stacy Mates named on the schedule.
The society says it will post Gordon Hall construction updates on its website. Its hoped-for completion date is February 2027, and the plan for the finished house includes a completed central hall and a lift.
If you have questions about Dexter, whether it's the downtown blocks around Monument Park or the neighborhoods off Inverness, Michael Bahr and the Charles by Reinhart team would be glad to talk. Schedule a Consultation and we'll go over Dexter with you.
