18 January 10 • 2019
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ALONG WOODWARD AVENUE
There’
s lots in store for holiday shop-
pers looking for local artists, makers, 
entrepreneurs and a cool experi-
ence at 1441 Woodward Collective 
and 1520 Woodward, where Detroit 
artist Lisa Spindler has her studio.
A stroll past WeWork Mer- 
chant’
s Row will take you 
to John Varvatos, Detroit is 
the New Black, House of Pure 
Vin, Bonobos, Warby Parker, Under 
Armour and Nike among many 
others. New on Woodward Avenue 
this holiday season is the Shinola 
Hotel featuring the clothing stores, 
Good Neighbor and Madewell, and 
new stores from Shinola and Drought.

FROM IADS TO CAPITOL PARK
“I feel blessed to have many rabbis 
as part of my life in Jewish Detroit. 
I often find myself working on proj-
ects with Rabbi Dan Horwitz of The 
Well, Rabbi Ariana Silverman of the 
Downtown Synagogue and Rabbi 
Yisrael Pinson of Chabad. I grew up 
at Temple Beth El and have worked 
with Rabbi Megan Brudney at the 
Beth El Community Transformation 
Center in the former Temple Beth El 
on Woodward. 
 “Recently, Sarah and I have enjoyed 
getting to know Rabbi Asher Lopatin, 
the new rabbi at Kehillat Etz Chaim. 
And, of course, I still have close ties to 
Rabbi Joshua Bennett who led me on 
Teen Missions to Israel as a teen and 
as a staff member.
“Standing at the corner of Grand 
River and Griswold, you see a vibrant 
neighborhood growing around Capitol 
Park,” he says. “Years ago, this dis-
trict was mostly vacant. Today, the 
view is very dramatically different. 
Here on the street, we can admire 
the Downtown Synagogue’
s new 
mural painted by world-renowned 
artist Bunnie Reiss, a massive mural 
by Beverly Fishman and the mural by 
Detroit’
s Charles McGee.
 “The retail and dining that have 
emerged — remixed, rethought for 
the 21st century and repurposed for 
beautiful new spots — include Detroit 
Bikes, Eatori and Eli Boyer’
s Lovers 
Only Burgers.”

28 GRAND – CAPITOL LOFTS
“When we started thinking about what 
life would be like for people working 
Downtown — living in a 275-square foot 
loft — we realized that a public space 

like Capitol Park would serve as a hub — 
their front yard, their backyard, the space 
where they’
d hang out, walk their dogs, 
dine out and entertain.
”
With its line-up of glass-enclosed 
holiday market kiosks and a new heated 
lodge all decked out for the holidays and 
operated by Jeremy Sasson, Capitol Park 
invites a leisurely stroll-through. 
Just “passing by” on her way to the 
synagogue, Rabbi Ariana Silverman, 

also a resident of Woodbridge, joins the 
conversation. “It’
s exciting to see more 
and more families with kids now in our 
neighborhood. And that includes the 
Jewish community, our next generation 
of Detroiters.
”
Adds George, “Capitol Park is special 
to me. Developing Capitol Park is a 
project that allows me to bring together 
my professional life, my personal life 
and communal life. Sukkah by Detroit is 
a perfect example of an astonishing 
success; working with friends and part-
ners from Bedrock and the Quicken 
Loans Community Fund, the Downtown 
Synagogue, The Well, Federation’
s 

NEXTGen Detroit, Hazon Detroit, 
Chabad and Hillel of Metro Detroit cre-
ated an innovative Jewish community 
project to activate a Downtown public 
space, thanks to the generous support of 
the William Davidson Foundation.
” 
Silverman agrees, “It was inspiring to 
see how all those organizations were able 
to partner so that the whole was greater 
than the parts. Sukkah by Detroit suc-
ceeded beyond our expectations as a way 

to expose Judaism to everyone, make it 
accessible … and fun. 
“Because of its location, Capitol Park 
is emerging as a place the Jewish com-
munity has adopted,
” Silverman adds. “In 
planning the candlelight vigil for 
Pittsburgh, it was clear that Capitol Park 
was the one place to be.
”

CAPITAL SQUARE
As George observes, “Detroit is a place 
for hearty people — happy to be out and 
about during the winter, especially if you 
give them something to do and a good 
reason to come celebrate.
”
Towering above the Holiday Market 

shops and the festive scenery of Cadillac 
Square, a 26-foot menorah stood as the 
centerpiece of 8th Annual Menorah 
in the D event, hosted on Dec. 2 by 
The Shul Chabad-Lubavitch of West 
Bloomfield, in partnership with the 
Jewish Federation, Chabad of Greater 
Downtown Detroit, Quicken Loans, 
Bedrock and other supporters.
Beyond adding a new level of enter-
tainment to the shopping experience, the 
Cadillac Square Market offers a pipeline 
for start-up retailers and businesses 
seeking to open a brick-and-mortar 
in a Bedrock building or other space 
around the city of Detroit. New and 
returning ventures this year include 248 
Studio, Ashley Gold, Beirut Souk and 
Nostimo Kitchen, to name a few.
A family-friendly retreat for shop-
pers, Cadillac Lodge beckons with 
comfy couches and plenty of room 
to sit, eat and drink indoors, with 
nearby Parc restaurant leading the menu 
offerings.
 
WOODWARD ESPLANADE
Our final stop takes us to Woodward 
Esplanade and the Spirit of Detroit 
Plaza. The Esplanade is a heavily used 
new linear park, created by converting 
unused road medians into public space 
with gardens, pathways, art and movable 
seating. The space culminates in the new 
Spirit of Detroit Plaza. 
 As George explains, the space was 
created by closing Woodward Avenue 
to cars between Larned and Jefferson 
and adding new seating, programming 
and other amenities. “While the space 
is still experimental, it makes the defini-
tive statement that our city streets aren’
t 
just for cars — but for people, too.
”
He adds, “
As Dan Gilbert likes to say, 
‘
Money and numbers follow; they don’
t 
lead.
’
 I feel incredibly fortunate to work 
for a company that is for more than 
profit. Beyond our work in public space, 
the Quicken Loans Community Fund 
has a team that thinks about housing 
stability, a team that thinks about educa-
tion and employment, and a team that 
thinks about growing and supporting 
business and entrepreneurship. We also 
have a team that motivates and mobilizes 
our Team Members — 17,000 strong 
in Detroit and about 30,000 around the 
country — as entrepreneurs, volunteers 
and stewards of our city.
” ■

Vivian Henoch is editor of myjewishdetroit.org, 

where this article first appeared.

TOP: In Capitol Park with Rabbi 

Ariana Silverman. ABOVE: 

Just warming up in the fami-

ly-friendly Cadillac Lodge.

continued from page 16