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The Art Of Architecture
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ALAN ABRAMS
Special to the Jewish News
T
he support given to local
artists by architect Louis G.
Redstone and his wife, Ruth,
made them "the Medicis of
Michigan," said their son, Daniel
Redstone of Bloomfield Hills — draw-
ing a comparison to the Italian
Renaissance benefactors of the art world.
Louis Redstone, who died March 31,
at 99, was a true patron of the arts;
often working in tangent with his wife
of 62 years, who survives him.
Mr. Redstone's legacy as an architect
can be found all around Metropolitan
Detroit. His firm, Redstone Architects,
designed the D. Dari and Betty Kahn
Building of the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield; Beth Achim
Synagogue (now Yeshivat Akiva) in
Southfield; the original Somerset Mall
and adjacent hotel in Troy; Comerica
Tower in Southfield; and the First
Federal Savings Bank Operations Center
in Troy.
His firm's other designs include the
Wayne H. Buell Building at the
Lawrence Technological University in
Southfield; the Michael Berry
International Terminal at Detroit
Metropolitan Airport; and in downtown
Detroit, the Manufacturers Bank
Building on West Lafayette and the 333
West Fort Street Building.
In addition, Mr. Redstone designed
schools, police and fire stations, and
houses, including the northwest Detroit
home where he lived, surrounded by art
and beauty.
Mr. Redstone's designs were widely
praised for their use of art as an integral
part of a building design. His firm
RUTH BRUELL, 80, of Michigan
City, Ind., formerly of Oak Park, died
March 27.
She is survived by her son and
daughter-in-law, Dr. Marc and Rachel
Bruell of Indiana; sister, Sally Britchky
of West Bloomfield; grandchildren,
Michael, Alyssa. Mrs. Bruell was the
beloved wife of the late Michael
Bruell; loving sister of the late Samuel.
Services and interment at Machpelah
Cemetery. Arrangements by Hebrew
Memorial Chapel.
BEATRICE CASMAN, 87, of
Southfield, died April 1. She was an
received the Patron Award of the
Beach Art Museum
Arts Foundation of Michigan in
in Long Beach,
recognition of its contribution
Calif, the
to the advancement of the arts
Interlochen Center
in the state.
for the Arts, and the
His appreciation of art led
Comerica Bank
him to make it more accessible
Operations Center
to the public. His son said his
in Detroit.
father took pride in his role as
Mr. Redstone,
Louis Redstone
co-chairman of the Southfield
who was the subject
Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition
of the Jan. 18, 2002
and as a member of the executive board
Jewish News cover story, never lost his
of the Business Consortium for the Arts
passion for discovering new art forms.
in Southfield. "He truly believed in
Daniel remembers that his father was 45
beauty and in art that benefits people
years old when he first signed up for
and society," said Daniel Redstone.
pottery classes.
Among the many younger people
Both of ME Redstone's sons received
Louis and Ruth Redstone befriended
their degrees in architecture from the
was architect Kenneth Neumann, now
University of Michigan, their father's
the president of Neumann-Smith and
alma mater. Eliel (whose first name
Associates in Southfield.
pays homage both to Eliel Saarinen, the
"Lou Redstone was one of the classiest architect so closely identified with
guys I knew," said Neumann. "Not only Cranbrook for many years, and the
was he was a consummate businessman,
name Eli of his grandfather) has his own
but also a great artist for whom design
architectural firm in San Francisco.
and excellence was a foundation for
Daniel is with the family firm in
everything he did. Because he was such
Southfield.
a wonderful human being, he was able
"Cranbrook was always one of my
to assure people into letting him do
father's passions. He loved going to stu-
things that have certainly enhanced
dent shows and buying things. He loved
Detroit."
everything in his house, every piece of
art," said Daniel Redstone.
Mr. Redstone's many talents extended
beyond architectural design. He
authored eight books between 1968 and
1989 and received recognition for his
watercolors, which were the subject of
numerous one-man exhibitions, most
recently at the Huntington Woods
Library Art Gallery. He is represented in
the permanent collections of the
Cranbrook Academy of Art, the Long
Zionist Roots
Louis Redstone graduated from the
Cranbrook Academy of Art with an
advanced degree in urban planning
which he earned under the direction of
Saarinen.
Born in Grodno, Poland, he left home
at the age of 17 to immigrate to
Palestine. As a member of the Zionist
Pioneer Youth group, he spent three
years planting trees on Mt. Carmel, dig-
ging ditches and foundations, and learn-
ing the construction trade from the
inside out.
Fired with an ambition to become an
architect, he left Palestine to join his old-
est brother, Sol, who was already living
in Detroit. His first construction work
was as a bricklayer on downtown
Detroit's Buhl Building. Jobs such as
that with their inherent danger enabled
him to earn sufficient funds to enroll in
the University of Michigan School of
Architecture. He graduated in 1929, just
as the stock market crash triggered the
Great Depression.
Eventually, Mr. Redstone found
work at Albert Kahn Associates, but
returned to Palestine in 1933 where he
subsequently opened his first architec-
ture practice in Tel Aviv, designing
apartments. Four years later, he
returned to Detroit to hang out his
architect shingle.
Louis Redstone is survived by his
wife, Ruth; sons and daughters-in-law
Daniel and Barbara Redstone of West
Bloomfield and Eliel Redstone and
Linda Haley of California; and grand-
children Adam, Carly and Ari
Redstone.
Interment was at Adat Shalom
Memorial Park. Memorial tributes
may be made to the Louis and Ruth
Redstone Architecture Scholarship
Fund, Taubman College of
Architecture and Planning (checks
payable to University of Michigan),
2000 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor, MI
48109-2069; Technion, 32522
Northwestern Highway, Farmington
Hills, 48334 or any charity supporting
the arts. Arrangements by Ira
Kaufman Chapel. ❑
office manager for Fox Hardware in
Detroit, a member of the City of
Hope and Hadassah.
Mrs. Casman is survived by her son,
Joel Casman of
Southfield; grand-
children, Robert and
Aileen Franchi;
great-grandsons,
Thomas and Mark
Franchi. Mrs.
Gasman was the
beloved wife of the
late William
Beatrice Casman
Casman; loving
mother of the late
Doreen Franchi.
Interment at Adat Shalom Memorial
Park. Contributions may be made to
the Jewish. National Fund.
Arrangements by Ira Kaufman Chapel.
Jackie Colman of New Orleans; grand-
children, Joshua, Rosa, Eli.
Services and interment at Temple
Beth Hatfiloh Family Cemetery in
Olympia.
DAN A. COLMAN, 75, former
Detroiter of Olympia, Wash., died
March 22.
He is survived by his beloved wife,
Eve (Swanson) Colman; sister and
brother-in-law, Libi and Raoul
Coquereau of Los Angeles; brother,
Sam Colman of Detroit; children,
Victor Colman and Cathy Wasserman
of Olympia, Cantor Joel Colman and
ESTHER FISHER, 90, died, March
30. She was a bookkeeper for Hart &
Company, a member of B'nai B'rith
Windsor Hadassah and Yad Ezra.
Ms. Fisher is survived by her sister,
Beatrice Zalev of Windsor, Ontario;
nieces, nephews and great-nieces and
great-nephews. She was the beloved
daughter of the late Herman and the
late Mary Fisher; dear sister of the late
Author And Artist
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2002
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