200 River Place Lofts
feature soaring
spaces, maple floors
and exposed spiral
ductwork.
BY LINDA BACHRACK
C'
call the Farbman brothers
`suburban pioneers' because
they are willing to invest back in
the city," says Jerald Rosenfeld, a
land acquisition specialist who
moved into David and Andrew
Farbman's Lofts @ Woodward Center
development in downtown Detroit.
The Farbmans' firm, Southfield-based
Farbman Group, purchased the Fisher
Building, the Albert Kahn Building and
the former Detroit Free Press building.
In addition, they acquired the commercial
building that now houses the Woodward
lofts, and the former Parke-Davis
Pharmaceutical Co. in Stroh River Place,
recently renovated into luxury lofts.
"We've got to bring this city back,"
said David in a recent Jewish News inter-
view. "Andy and I do our part. We are
ensuring that our children will be able to
enjoy downtown. It will never be the
same as it was when our parents knew it,
but it can still be an enjoyable experi-
ence."
To lure potential city dwellers back
downtown, the Farbmans have
embarked on two residential projects,
the most upscale of which is 200 River
Place Lofts.
"The River Place Lofts are an exam-
ple of the 'soft' loft," says David. "The
integrity of the original building is
Photo by Joshua Kristal
PHOTOGRAPHY BY BETH SINGER
*?'
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S Y E A T •r
E JN
• APRIL 2002 • 1 9