Close Up

LESLEY PEARL

STAFF WRITER

A

cup of coffee in her hand,
Evie Liberman used to
watch from the window of
her Riverfront Towers
apartment as the burn-
ing-red sphere of sun
came up over the Detroit

River.
-
Since the third unit of the complex on
Jefferson Avenue was built, Ms. Liber-
man's view of the morning isn't as bril-
liant. But she still greets the dawn over
the water each day, thrilled to be living
in the city.
Ms. Liberman and her husband Mur-
ray moved downtown from Southfield 10
years ago. They are among a handful
of Jews living in the city proper, popu-
lating such areas as the Riverfront,
Palmer Woods, Rosedale Park, T nfayette
Park and the Wayne State University
districts.
According to the most recent Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit pop-
ulation survey, taken in 1989, less than
5,000 Jews call the city their home.
In the late 1960s, many Jews left the
area between Six and Eight Mile roads
for the promises of suburbia in Oak Park
and Southfield, and later West Bloom-
field, Bloomfield Hills and Farmington
Hills.
Some, like the Libermans, chose
downtown once the children had left the
nest. Others, like Gerald and Judith Pri-
mak, fled the womb-like enclave of Hunt-
ington Woods for Detroit 25 years ago.
Younger Jews, such as Jeff Brasch and
Scott Berry, have more recently found
the city to be both affordable and inter-
esting.
They have chosen different neighbor-
hoods, styles of architecture and reasons
for living in a place many would rather
forget. Some are living miles from the
homes where they, or their parents, grew
up.
Tree-lined streets, sidewalks and per-
fectly manicured lawns provide a show-
case for the elegant homes of Palmer
Woods, built of brick, with copper gut-
ters and slate roofs. Many homes exude
a traditional feel, while others follow the

styles created by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Unlike most of the subdivisions created
in the last 20 years, where houses differ
by color or kitchen placement, each in
Palmer Woods is different.
Gerald and Judith Primak's is no ex-
ception.
Pewabic tiles comprise the entryway
and foyer of the almost 6,000-square-foot
home. Impossibly high ceilings, exposed
wooden beams and leaded glass windows
blend with a sizable collection of varied-
media arts — some taken from Ms. Pri-
mak's Detroit Gallery of Contemporary
Crafts, located in the Fisher Building.
"Our move to the city was a reverse. I
suppose that tells you a bit about us; we
don't follow the trends," Ms. Primak said.
"We outgrew our home in Huntington
Woods, and rather than looking for a
larger home in that community we
turned to this neighborhood we always
loved.
"As a child, I remembered driving
through these streets to look at the lights

Creating
a chosen
and
thriving
world south
of Ei ht Mile
Road.

(Left) Murray and Evie Liberman
overlook the city from their
Riverfront Tower apartment.
(Right) Judith and Gerald Primak
have called Palmer Woods home for
25 years.

at Christmas time. After the 1967 riots,
these magnificent homes became af-
fordable. We looked at homes for one
year. Each was special, but this was the
most special."
Once known as an area for well-to-do
Jews, Palmer Woods is now home to a
variety of people — celebrities, sports fig-
ures, blacks, gays and Jews. Develop-
ment of the surrounding suburbs has left
these sprawling masterpiece-homes
more affordable.

It wasn't merely the struc-
ture that has appealed to the
Primaks for so long. Mr. Pri-
mak spent many years on the
Palmer Woods Board of Direc-
tors and has recently returned.
Newer residents asked for his experience
and expertise. Ms. Primak has jogged
through the streets for 23 years. She
knows her neighbors, the postal work-
ers and the lawn-service people — not
just the ones she hires.
"This is a very unique place (Palmer
Woods)," Mr. Primak said. "It functions
very much as an old-fashioned neigh-
borhood. There's respect and loyalty,
coming together for projects. We work
hard for what we get and what we main-

tain. The homes here are beautiful, but
the city doesn't have a lot of money for
services, so we do a lot on our own. We
raise funds through home tours for
neighborhood beautifcation and our as-
sociation dues pay for security and snow
removal.
'There's a core of about 30 or 40 fam-
ilies that participate in all this activity."
The Primaks' children, all grown now,
attended Hampton Elementary and Cass
Technical High School in Detroit. Their
friends ran across the color spectrum.
Mr. and Ms. Primak are thrilled with the
diversity their children experienced
through the neighborhood and Detroit's
public schools. They admit sending

