Individuals and Companies
Pioneer Award
Finalists
Jill Ferrari, Renovare Development
John Costello, Bedrock – Winner
Kevin Johnson, DEGC
John Costello
Chief Development Officer
Bedrock, Detroit
There was no playbook for restoring the Book Tower along Washington Boulevard in downtown Detroit. Just the monumental task of taking a forlorn relic and bringing it back to its original grandeur. Enter John Costello, chief development officer of Bedrock, the real estate development company owned by Dan Gilbert, who led a team that learned to recreate a historic masterpiece.
Tearing down everything and starting anew would have been much simpler, but Costello and the Bedrock team, which restored its own headquarters along Woodward Avenue — built in 1880 for the Mabley’s department store — were determined to showcase Detroit’s history as the world’s first manufacturing economy.
The many factories that helped spread the city’s size to 139 square miles by 1925 helped finance what has been called “the second largest collection of pre-1930s architecture in the country.” Given the Book Tower had sat empty for a dozen years, the entire structure had to be inspected, cleaned, prepped, developed, cleaned again, furnished, and programmed.
Today, the Italian Renaissance structure, which includes a 38-story tower and a 13-story attached midrise originally completed in 1926, has been fully revitalized into a 117-room ROOST Detroit hotel, 229 apartments, a ballroom, meeting spaces, three restaurants, and more.
As a measure of its successful comeback, in May Architectural Digest recognized the restoration as one of “The World’s 11 Most Beautiful Repurposed Buildings.”
Commercial Real Estate Broker of the Year
Finalists
Paul Hoge, Signature Associates – winner
Simon Jonna, Jonna Group at Colliers International
Daniel Canvasser, Newmark
Paul Hoge
Senior Vice President, Principal
Signature Associates, Southfield
For decades, metro Detroit’s industrial property sector languished, a victim of manufacturing activity moving overseas, aging facilities, and crumbling roads and bridges. Mix in years of fiscal mismanagement in Detroit that led to the largest municipal bankruptcy in the country in 2013, and the prospects for an industrial turnaround were circumspect, if not grim.
Even as large factories, manufacturing facilities, and projects like the Pontiac Silverdome sat empty for want of demand — metro Detroit’s industrial vacancy rate was at 13 percent in 2008 — Paul Hoge, senior vice president and principal of Signature Associates, kept driving forward.
As a top salesperson at the brokerage firm, Hoge has overseen scores of transactions ranging from leasing and sales to helping to assemble large tracts of land for industrial parks. In one instance, in the late 1980s, he cold-called Tire Wholesalers, which at the time was located along Eight Mile Road in Southfield.
In short order, he sold the company a larger warehouse in Troy. Last year, Hoge and his team helped Tire Wholesalers establish a 270,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse operation in Oak Park.
At the same time, Hoge has assisted hundreds of clients in buying and leasing industrial land and facilities, including new and refurbished properties for Brose NA, Dürr, First Industrial REIT, Kirco, MSX International, US Farathane, and Webasto. The projects have generated myriad investments in related industries such as design, construction, machinery, and furnishings.
Today, Hoge, a member of the Midwest Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame, has never been busier. The region’s industrial vacancy rate was at 3.7 percent in the second quarter, the lowest availabe space in decades.
Commercial Real Estate Executive of the Year
Finalists
Andy Gutman, Farbman Group
Paul Choukourian, Colliers International
Kofi Bonner, Bedrock – winner
Kofi Bonner
CEO
Bedrock, Detroit
Overseeing a portfolio of more than 100 properties in both Detroit and Cleveland, some of which, upon acquisition, weren’t far from the wrecking ball, Kofi Bonner, CEO of Bedrock, has helped to transform both downtown districts into thriving metropolises while embracing community partnerships and supporting small businesses.
Overall, Bedrock, owned by Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Rocket Cos. in Detroit, and its affiliates, have invested and committed more than $5.6 billion to acquire and restore 100-plus buildings that, combined, total 22 million square feet of space. New construction also has been a part of the comeback effort, including the Hudson’s Tower in downtown Detroit — now at the halfway point of delivering 1.5 million square feet of office, residential, commercial, and hospitality space that will include a 5-star hotel, complemented by a midrise structure to the north.
Scheduled to open in late 2024, the development joins dozens of restoration projects like the Shinola Hotel, Book Tower, most of the lower Woodward Corridor, Cadillac Tower, and the Buhl Building. Next up is the Development at Cadillac Square, which will add 1.5 million square feet of mixed-use offerings between Monroe and Randolph streets, adjacent to Campus Martius Park and Cadillac Square.
Outside of downtown Detroit, Bonner and his team have acquired properties along or in close proximity to the Detroit River, including Stroh River Place, 200 Walker (formerly The Icon), the Rocket Mortgage Technology Center in Corktown, and a nearly 37-acre industrial development in the city’s Delray neighborhood. All told, the Detroit projects provide for business expansion, investment, and thousands of job opportunities. At the same time, Bedrock helps support and program community events.
Emerging Commercial Real Estate Professional of the Year Under 40
Finalists
Matt Schiffman, P.A. Commercial
Jared Friedman, Friedman Real Estate – winner
Corbin Yaldoo, C3 Commercial Real Estate
Jared Friedman
Executive Managing Director, Acquisitions and Business Development
Friedman Real Estate, Farmington Hills
Overseeing a diverse real estate portfolio that includes office, industrial, and retail properties, Jared Friedman works to acquire, sell, lease, and provide advisory services for a range of clients consisting of Fortune 1000 companies, REITs, private equity firms, banks, and servicers. From the historic Parker-Webb Building in downtown Detroit to the Three West 11 office campus in Southfield and the Woodhaven Industrial Center in Woodhaven, he is active across the region and country.
Friedman also has developed a full-service capital markets team, SF Capital, to provide commercial real estate financing nationwide. He also has helped Friedman secure more than 3,000 new units of Class-A multifamily management assignments and 4 million square feet of commercial management assignments. The last several years have included growth in receivership assignments in markets such as Chicago, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Houston.
A key driver of Freidman Real Estate’s institutional advisory team, Friedman and his team have been a part of multiple transactions, including the sale and restructuring of the Westin Book Cadilac, Bedrock’s purchase of the former Sakthi Industrial Campus, the development plan for the recently-completed Godfrey Hotel, and the upcoming Perennial Apartments, all in Detroit.
In the suburbs, Friedman helped facilitate several large-scale leases for Magna in Auburn Hills, DTE Energy’s storage facility in Redford Township, and Gardner White Furniture Co.’s headquarters complex in Warren (formerly occupied by Art Van Furniture). Beyond the transactions, Friedman seeks to create value in the communities where the company does business through new investment, job opportunities, and community enrichment.
Developer of the Year
Finalists
Ron Boji, Boji Group – winner
Susan Harvey, Ashley Capital
Danny Samson, Sterling Group
Ron Boji
CEO
Boji Group, Lansing
After opening and running Computer Warehouse stores earlier in his career, Ron Boji, along with his father, Louie, acquired the Michigan National Building in downtown Lansing. Over the course of more than three decades, the pair expanded their office portfolio, and eventually began to acquire and develop urban properties in downtown Birmingham and Royal Oak.
As part of six projects in Birmingham, Ron Boji recently completed a regional headquarters for Boji Group at N. Old Woodward and Maple Road, and leased the first-floor space to CB2, a modern furniture and contemporary home décor store that’s part of Crate & Barrel. More construction is underway at S. Old Woodward and Brown Street for an RH store (formerly Restoration Hardware), along with a separate building to the west that will offer first-floor retail, second-floor offices, and 30 luxury apartments on two upper floors.
In turn, 460 N. Old Woodward, just south of Market North End restaurant, will be home to a high-end supper club called Wilders Bistro. It will be operated by the Eid family, owners of two other Birmingham restaurants, Phoenicia and Forest Grill, and will have upper-floor office and residential units overlooking Booth Park.
Boji also recently completed a $40-million outpatient building for Henry Ford Health in downtown Royal Oak, complemented by a $63-million municipal campus for Royal Oak that includes a new city hall, a police station, a seven-story, 581-space parking deck, and Centennial Commons, a 2.2-acre park. Overall, Boji Group owns more than 60 buildings and has interests in commercial, office, hospitality, and residential markets.
Excellence in Architecture and Design
Finalists
Pankaj Patel, Albert Kahn Associates
Joel Smith, Neumann/Smith Architecture
Rainy Hamilton Jr., Hamilton Anderson Associates
Rainy Hamilton Jr.
President
Hamilton Anderson Associates
Rainy Hamilton Jr. knows how to deliver design projects that are on time and under budget. Keeping everything moving in one direction is symbolized by a working model train display he built in the basement of his home. Hamilton is principal in charge, president, and associate of Hamilton Anderson Associates in downtown Detroit, and works on everything from new construction to historic restorations.
As the lead or part of a design team, the award-winning firm worked on two of three stadiums in Detroit — Ford Field and Little Caesars Arena — as well as multiple new housing projects in Brush Park, Midtown, and Corktown. In the latter neighborhood, Hamilton Anderson was retained by Detroit’s Roxbury Group on behalf of Soave Enterprises to create a master plan for Elton Park, located along Trumbull Street, north of Michigan Avenue.
The plan included the restoration of the former Checker Cab Building into loft apartments, and the construction of five residential buildings and commercial spaces. The design, which features exterior materials like brick and stone, appears to have been built decades before in the city’s oldest neighborhood, founded in 1834.
Across the country, the firm, launched in 1994, has designed dozens of projects, including the $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor Casino and Hotel in Washington, D.C. In addition to the casino, the property includes a 300-room hotel, a full-service spa, a conference center, a 4,000-seat theater, and a conservatory. Hamilton Anderson, which also designed the MGM Grand Detroit, is active in multiple markets, including health care, academic, civic, cultural, offices, parks, and recreational facilities.
Excellence in Construction and Engineering
Finalists
Loren Venegas, Ideal Contracting
John Rakolta Jr., Walbridge – winner
Ryan Maibach, Barton Malow
John Rakolta
Chairman
Walbridge
Over a long and distinguished career, John Rakolta has overseen the construction and engineering of some of the most complex structures ever built. His portfolio of work as past CEO of Walbridge, and now chairman, includes the construction of manufacturing plants, high-speed data centers, historic restorations, and hospitals. The company, founded in 1916, offers data and modeling, pre-construction, construction, and process engineering services.
Active around the world, Walbridge has built or expanded the Stellantis Jeep Assembly Plant in Goiana, Brazil, the Ford Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly Expansion in Mexico, Sparkman Wharf Renovations in Tampa for Strategic Property Partners, and, closer to home, the redevelopment of the David Whitney Building in downtown Detroit into a hotel, apartments, and commercial space, among many other projects.
The company also is at the forefront of Industry 4.0, where automated factories are run by remote digital platforms complemented by IT, robotics, additive manufacturing, and nanotechnology. Using multiple sensors, the equipment inside the production facilities seem to run on their own.
One of Walbridge’s most high-profile projects is an all-new, $5.6-billion mega campus in Stanton, Tenn., called BlueOval City, where Ford is reimagining how electric vehicles and batteries are manufactured. BlueOval City will occupy nearly six square miles when it opens in 2025. It will become a vertically integrated ecosystem where Ford can assemble an expanded lineup of electric F-Series vehicles, and will include a BlueOval SK battery plant, key suppliers, and recycling. What’s more, Walbridge has been charged by Ford to make the construction process carbon-neutral, with zero waste to landfill once fully operational.
Excellence in Community Service
Finalists
Tonja Bolden Stapleton, Parkstone Development Partners – winner
Paul Magy, Clark Hill
Robert Pliska, Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates
Tonja Bolden Stapleton oversees Parkstone Development Partners, a full-service real estate development and small business consulting firm in Detroit that provides technical assistance to developers, municipalities, and entrepreneurs. The company specializes in zoning, land use, and site development from an office in Eastern Market.
Prior to starting Parkstone, Stapleton, a zoning and land use expert with more than 20 years of experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, served as the zoning administrator for the City of Detroit from 2011 to 2016, and as a planner for the Village of Glen Ellyn, located west of Chicago.
During her time working for the City of Detroit, Stapleton was part of a team that helped shepherd billions of dollars of investment into the central business district, Midtown, Corktown, Lafayette Park, and other neighborhoods. Her core strengths include strategic and master planning, project management, land entitlements, and commercial development.
In addition, she has helped launch more than 100 small businesses and has co-authored several ordinances for municipalities. Stapleton, who earned a degree in urban and regional planning from Michigan State University, is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. During her career, she has developed multiple specialties, including strategic and master planning, project management, local, state, and federal land entitlements, government relations, budgeting, grant-writing, and storm water compliance.
Her municipal services team includes planners, engineers, and attorneys who provide ordinance and master plan assistance.
Projects and Deals
Best Land Deal
Finalists
Finalists
Sterling Group, Amazon Detroit – winner
Boji Group, CB2 Birmingham
LoPatin and Co./NorthPoint Development, Lear Detroit
A popular attraction that originally got its start in 1849, the Michigan State Fairgrounds property at the southeast corner of Woodward Avenue and 8 Mile Road drew millions of people over multiple decades. But as the annual fair that showcased Michigan’s agricultural industry saw declining ticket sales, it moved in 2013 to the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
In recent years, different plans were floated for the 164-acre former fairgrounds site along Woodward, including a racetrack, retail opportunities, office buildings, and a station for a proposed commuter rail service. To help speed development, in 2012 the state transferred the property to the Land Bank Fast Track Authority. Multiple proposals for the site were presented, and eventually, in 2018, the land was transferred to the City of Detroit. The Sterling Group in Detroit, an investment and real estate firm, was selected by the City to develop the property into an industrial park.
An early win for the redevelopment project was Amazon’s first robotics fulfillment center in the state, which opened in late July. The five-story, 823,000-square-foot facility supports the 10 fulfillment and sorting centers, along with 13 delivery stations, that service Michigan residents and businesses. Amazon hired more than 1,200 people to work at the new facility, 60 percent of whom are Detroit residents. In addition, the former Dairy Cattle building is being converted into the State Fair Transit Center, which is scheduled to open next spring.
Best Commercial Property Sale
Finalists
FANUC America, Auburn Hills – winner
Birmingham Place, Birmingham
The Addison, Southfield
In August 2022, Dominion Real Estate Advisors in Bingham Farms orchestrated the disposition of the former Western Michigan University/Thomas M. Cooley Law School Campus along Featherstone Road in Auburn Hills. Following extensive negotiations, a land use study, and meetings with the municipality and state regulators, the property was eventually put under contract by the preferred developer for the buyer, General Development Co. in Southfield.
Today, a 655,000-square-foot facility is under construction for Rochester Hills-based FANUC America — a supplier of CNCs, robotics, and robo machines — for its so-called West Campus expansion, which will boost its operational space in Oakland County to nearly 2 million square feet. The new building, which is scheduled to open next spring, will include manufacturing, engineering, and R&D space.
One challenge to the project was General Development’s isolation of 7 acres of a wetland pocket to the north of the property along Featherstone Road that were permitted to be replaced through the state of Michigan’s wetland bank, or wetland mitigation program (an administratively cumbersome program), at a ratio of 1.5 acres to 1 acre.
Given the scope of the intended project, due diligence was protracted and fully extended even beyond the initial contractual timelines, lasting almost a year. Adding to the complexity of the development site and the sale was the seller’s underlying institutional bond financing, which had to be navigated as a partial release by their legal counsel. The property was eventually acquired by FANUC America Corp. (a subsidiary of FANUC Corp. in Japan), which is the world’s leading supplier of intelligent factory automation systems.
Best Relocation
Finalists
Colliers International, Royal Oak
Gardner White, Warren
Huntington Tower, Detroit
Huntington National Bank cleared the property on what had been a surface lot along Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit and an older parking deck to the west, and built a 21-story building that features flexible workspaces, state-of-the-art amenities, and a rooftop terrace. The structure, which includes an internal parking deck, serves as the headquarters for Huntington’s Commercial Bank.
It’s the first office tower built in downtown Detroit in more than 30 years. Overlooking Comerica Park, amenities include a café with on-site refreshments such as Starbucks, terraces on the rooftop, a 19th floor with outdoor access, and a new Huntington Bank branch on the first floor.
The main exterior materials include lightly tinted green glass set in anodized aluminum curtain wall framing. Above the 10-level parking deck are nine floors of office space that can accommodate 750 employees. The $104-million project was designed by Neumann/Smith Architecture and built by Brinker Construction, both with Detroit operations.
In June, the 421,000-square-foot building was acquired by The Herrick Co. in Boca Raton, Fla., for $150 million. “In real estate, there are few investment opportunities as desirable as properties that are leased on a triple-net basis by creditworthy tenants such as Huntington Bank,” Norton Herrick, chairman of The Herrick Co., said at the time the sale was announced.
Best New Industrial Project
Finalists
Former Michigan State Fairgrounds, Sterling Group
Amazon Fulfillment Center in Pontiac, Amazon – winner
FANUC North America, General Development
The Pontiac Silverdome, the former home of the Detroit Lions, opened to great fanfare in 1975. But 27 years later, after the Lions moved to Ford Field in downtown Detroit, the 82,000-seat stadium, which also served as a temporary home for the Detroit Pistons, sat largely empty save for concerts, soccer matches, and other entertainment offerings.
The City of Pontiac owned the facility until it was sold at auction in 2009 for $550,000 to the late Andreas Apostolopoulos, CEO of Triple Properties in Toronto (the sports venue was built at a cost of $55.7 million). In 2013, following a heavy snowstorm, the Silverdome was closed after the air-pressurized roof collapsed. It was finally condemned and cleared for demolition in 2017.
Working with Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties, Amazon announced in September 2019 that it had acquired the parcel and was going to occupy the site. The project included the construction of a 3.8 million-square-foot robotics fulfillment center. The entire project cost an estimated $250 million. Today, some 3,000 employees work at the facility.
Amazon didn’t receive any tax breaks for the project. Overall, there are 6,000 robots at the fulfillment center, and workers ship some 855,000 packages a day. In addition, the facility has nearly 50 million items of inventory.
Best Office Lease
Finalists
TI Fluid Systems Headquarters, Savills Detroit
S State Street in Ann Arbor, Colliers International
Warner Norcross + Judd, Olympia Development – winner
Olympia Development of Michigan — part of Ilitch Cos. in Detroit, which includes Little Caesars Arena, professional sports teams, and other investments — built a five-story, $70-million building along Woodward Avenue that offers 127,000 square feet of space. Called 2715 Woodward Ave., the building was completed last year and is located between Little Caesars Arena and Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business.
The first tenants, regional employees for Warner Norcross + Judd, a corporate law firm based in Grand Rapids, completed their move into the building’s third floor last year. Boston Consulting Group also has moved into the facility. Warner has around 60 attorneys and staff in the building, and the firm’s space features flexible work areas, a lounge overlooking Woodward, a 40-seat café, and a media center.
In addition, Warner and other tenants have access to an abundance of natural light with floor-to-ceiling glass, enhanced light quality features, and sound attenuation, which encourages collaboration and improves the ability to focus. The structure was also engineered with state-of-the-art indoor air-quality systems, allowing for 50 percent more fresh-air circulation than standard systems, as well as enhanced air/particle filtration.
“This building is a timely delivery to the market and exactly what people need and expect in today’s workplace. We’ve designed (the building) for flexibility and inspiration in an environment that moves us in the direction of health and well-being,” says Stefan Stration, vice president of development for Olympia Development.
Best New Office Project
Finalists
One Campus Martius, Detroit
Wacker Innovation Center and Regional
Headquarters, Ann Arbor – winner
Bloomfield Hills Office Center II, Bloomfield Hills
Kirco in Troy, along with its construction company, Kirco Manix in Farmington Hills, were selected by Wacker Chemical Corp. to develop and construct its $70 million North American Innovation Center and Regional Headquarters in Ann Arbor. Work commenced in late 2020, and despite COVID-19, construction remained on schedule and on budget. The 75,000-square-foot facility opened in May 2022.
Spanning 18 acres, the technology campus serves as the hub for Wacker’s North and Central Americas (NCA) region. The center houses more than 200 employees, including the company’s NCA senior leadership team, chemists, and a range of technical experts, along with support functions. The innovation center can accommodate up to 300 employees.
The investment allowed Wacker chemists, scientists, and senior leadership, who previously worked out of separate Michigan locations, to collaborate and innovate in a dedicated building. Amenities at the new center include more than 20 technical and analytical laboratories, a full-service cafeteria, a 24/7 fitness center, and open collaborative workspaces. The new building, which serves as a location for advanced research and design activities, provides plenty of open space.
“After China, the United States is the largest market for chemicals and silicone products,” says Robert Gnann, president of Wacker’s silicones business division. “Our new innovation center is an essential prerequisite for serving customers in North America with tailor-made silicone specialties, which are used in a wide range of application fields.”
Best Industrial Lease
Finalists
One (Our Next Energy), Van Buren Township
Sakthi Automotive Portfolio, Detroit – winner
Renaissance Global Logistics, Wixom
After acquiring dozens of office buildings, many of them historic, in Detroit’s central business district, and building and renovating residential structures, along with adding retailers and restaurants, Bedrock in Detroit made its first foray into the industrial sector with the purchase of the former Sakthi Industrial Campus.
The nearly 37-acre acquisition, completed in 2020, includes approximately 529,000 square feet of industrial and manufacturing space, 89,000 square feet of office and flex space, and more than 10 acres of developable land. The property is located four miles west of downtown Detroit at West Fort and Waterman streets, and is adjacent to the Norfolk Southern Rail Line and near the future Gordie Howe International Bridge U.S. Port of Entry.
Two years after the acquisition, Bedrock announced a deal with LM Manufacturing, a joint venture between Magna, one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, and LAN Manufacturing, a minority-owned automotive supplier based in Michigan, to provide 296,000 square feet of manufacturing space.
Under the agreement, LM Manufacturing is leasing space at 6451 W. Fort St., 6401 W. Fort St., and 150 Rademacher St. to manufacture automotive seating. Renamed the Fort Street Industrial Campus, in 2002 LM Manufacturing was joined by Diversified Synergies, which kits, packages, and distributes products for pharmaceutical, food, and consumer goods. The company is leasing 200,000 square feet of space. Overall, the two tenants combined employ around 1,500 workers.
Best Retail Lease of Project
Finalists
Big Rock Italian Chophouse, Cushman & Wakefield
CB2, Boji Group
Uptown Ann Arbor, Beztak Cos. – winner
Uptown Ann Arbor, a mixed-use community of apartments and storefronts, is located at the southwest corner of Ann Arbor Saline Road and Oak Valley Drive near I-94. The retail space at Uptown Ann Arbor received its certificate of occupancy in 2022, and was preceded by the development of 197 luxury apartments bearing the same name, which opened in 2021.
Located near the University of Michigan, downtown Ann Arbor, and major employers like Google, Toyota, and Thomson Reuters, the retail space at Uptown Ann Arbor, complemented by one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, lofts, and townhomes, offers some attractive demographics: the average income within a square mile is $124,430, based on a population of 7,909 people. Overall, 15,500 vehicles travel by the property on a daily basis.
Given the developer and owner of the property, Beztak Cos. in Farmington Hills, was able to quickly lease the residential units, the apartment community created a steady walk-up market for the retail space. With modern architecture and parking, the retail space spans 17,289 square feet and includes Marco’s Pizza, Beyond Juice + Eatery, Banfield Pet Hospital, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Detroit Wing Co., Stretch Lab, and Paint Nail Bar. Brokered by Gerdom Realty and Investment in Novi, today the retail area offers 3,603 square feet of available space.
Best Mixed-use Project
Finalists
Columbia Street, Olympia Development – winner
The Griffin Royal Oak, Singh Development
Village at Bloomfield, REDICO
Ever since Mike and Marian Ilitch acquired the Fox Theatre at Woodward Avenue and Columbia Street from the late Chuck Forbes in 1987, the couple who launched Little Caesars Pizza sought to develop a surface parking lot just south of the entertainment venue. Formerly occupied by the Ham Factory, an arcade, and other storefronts, the series of two-story buildings were demolished in the 1970s.
Following the 2020 opening of the Little Caesars Global Resource Center and World Headquarters on the south side of the parking lot, designed by SmithGroup and built by L.S. Brinker, both in Detroit, the real estate arm of Ilitch Cos. — Olympia Development of Michigan — turned to the north side of the vacant lot (originally Columbia Street itself).
After building out a pedestrian square featuring cobblestone paving, festoon lights, and al fresco dining spaces, the European-style plaza called Columbia Street began to fill out around 40,000 square feet of retail and restaurant spaces located in both the Fox Theatre and the new Little Caesars building.
Today, Columbia Street includes Union Assembly, Mom’s Spaghetti, JoJo’s Shake Bar, Good Cakes & Bakes, Frita Batidos Detroit, Sahara Restaurant and Grill, and The M Den Detroit. Other retail and restaurant spaces are available. In addition, the plaza hosts multiple themed activities throughout the year to coincide with major sporting events, concerts, and holidays.
The plaza, which is open year round, is part of The District Detroit, a 50-block area that includes three sports stadiums, office buildings, residences, theaters, restaurants, and entertainment attractions.
Best New Multifamily Project
Finalists
Mystic Cove in Lake Orion, Moceri Cos. – winner
Detroit City Club Apartments (downtown),
City Club Apartments
The Griffin, Singh Development
As part of a 90-million development along the shores of Lake Orion, Moceri Cos. is building three communities that, combined, will offer 139 luxury residences along with amenities, boat slips, and retail establishments. The project, approved by the Village of Lake Orion in 2022, will replace an aging collection of structures, clean up a marina and any contamination, maintain boat launches for Lake Orion residents, and renovate a gas dock.
Set across 10 acres, the three communities are Mystic Cove, The Starboard, and Constellation Bay. Floor plans include one-, two-, and three-bedroom options, as well as live-work spaces ranging from 1,200 to 2,800 square feet. Other components consist of a community park and an outdoor historical gallery, new storm water treatment systems, and new and renovated boardwalks.
Located near M-24 and Heights Road, a few miles north of the former Palace of Auburn Hills, Moceri Cos., working with architect Dominick Tringali, is undertaking several restoration projects in the three communities. The company, based in Auburn Hills, is reconstructing the Foursquare House and renovating the Historic Sutherland Home and the Marina Boathouse.
In addition, existing boat slips will be reserved for residents. Design cues were taken from the surrounding architecture, and a new sign will evoke the original gateway to the former Park Island amusement park. A boathouse-style restaurant is planned, as well. The project will open in phases over the next two to three years.
Best Redevelopment or Renovation
Finalists
Columbia Street, Olympia Development
Book Tower, Bedrock – winner
Newlab, Ford Land
The Book Tower, which recently completed a $400-million restoration, provides another historic and mixed-use attraction in downtown Detroit. Located along Washington Boulevard at Grand River Avenue, the 38-story tower and adjoining 14-story Book Building includes 229 residential units, a 117-room ROOST Apartment Hotel, and 52,000 square feet of retail, office space, and three new dining options.
Built in 1926 by the three Book Brothers — Herbert, Frank, and J. Burgess Jr. — Book Tower was the tallest building in Detroit at the time of its completion. At the time, the brothers developed the multiple parcels they owned along Washington into Detroit’s version of Park Avenue in New York City. Today, the Book Tower remains one of the most architecturally renowned buildings in the Midwest, and is one of the most intriguing reuse projects in Michigan.
Following its 2015 acquisition of the Louis Kamper-designed, Italian Renaissance Revival-style building, Bedrock in Detroit embarked on a historic restoration. The building was in a state of disrepair, after sitting vacant for more than a decade. Interior damage included destroyed century-old plaster ceiling tiles, shattered marble wainscoting, and exposed electrical and plumbing systems.
The restoration included taking molds from what details were left, recreating new ornamentation, and the replacement of exterior stones, statues, and cornices.
New first-floor and lower-level restaurants — Le Suprême, Hiroki-San, and Sakazuki — were designed by Method Studios, Method Co.’s in-house design firm, and Philadelphia-based Stokes Architecture + Design. Kamper’s and Bar Rotunda (part of Le Suprême) were designed in a partnership between ODA Architecture and Method Studios. Located on the rooftop of the Book Building, Kamper’s offers an indoor/outdoor cocktail lounge.
Community Impact Award
Finalists
Kevin Johnson, DEGC
Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, Shelborne Development – winner
Eric Larson, Downtown Detroit Partnership
Kathy Makino-Leipsitz, president and managing partner of Shelborne Development in Detroit, is a pioneer of historic residential development. Long before it was commonplace, Makino-Leipsitz was rehabbing older structures in the Cass Corridor, now part of Midtown, as well as in Palmer Park, near Six Mile and Hamilton roads.
Overall, Makino-Leipsitz has helped to build and rehabilitate more than 1,300 housing units in southeast Michigan, with a special focus on preserving 30-plus vacant historic buildings in Detroit. In 1979, while a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, she got her start by purchasing and renovating a duplex in Westland.
While some developers will attempt to pack as many apartments in a building as possible, Makino-Leipsitz prefers to offer larger units that families can grow into. Bigger residential spaces also attract a wider mix of tenants. In the case of Palmer Park, Shelborne’s tenants include city employees, nurses, professionals, and service personnel who work at restaurants and casinos.
“To see an empty structure and see it transformed into a sustainable, energy-efficient apartment community is what really drives me,” Makino-Leipsitz says. “It’s almost like restoring a work of art. I’ve always started in the fringe areas, where other developers have shied away, and when they eventually did come (to an area), I took it as a sign of confidence.”
Best Hospitality Project
Finalists
Westin Book Cadillac Hotel, Oxford Capital Group
Godfrey Hotel, Oxford Capital Group – winner
Daxton Hotel, Mark Mitchell
Michigan Avenue and Trumbull Street were synonymous with the Detroit Tigers for more than a century. The Tigers won four World Series championships at the “old ballpark,” which was initially surrounded by manufacturers like Absopure and Carhartt.
As the manufacturers left, their aging facilities were torn down and mostly replaced by surface parking lots for use by residents, businesses, and fans. After the Tigers moved to Comerica Park in 2000, the Corktown neighborhood was largely underutilized. But six years ago, potential turned into activity as Soave Enterprises in Detroit, led by Tony Soave, redeveloped the former Checker Cab Building along Trumbull and built five neighboring buildings that, all told, added more than 150 apartments.
Soon after, Ford Motor Co. announced it had acquired the former Michigan Central Station at Michigan and 14th Street for a new mobility innovation campus. Against that backdrop, other new businesses arrived — the Godfrey Hotel Detroit by Oxford Capital Group, Oxford Hotels & Resorts, and Pasteur Homes, with the newest Curio Collection by Hilton.
The 227-room luxury hotel features the I/O Rooftop Lounge and the Lobby Bar, a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, in-room dining, and a fitness center. Next up is Hamilton’s, a collaboration with Samy Eid, of Chickpea Hospitality, that will feature classic American fare and be located on the first floor. The hotel has five room options, including pet-friendly rooms, as well as digital check-in, valet parking, and four flexible meeting spaces.
