56 | JULY 20 • 2023 

OBITUARIES
OF BLESSED MEMORY

W

hen Burton Farbman 
founded Farbman 
Group in 1976, it 
could have been the culmination 
of a remarkable per-
sonal and professional 
journey. A self-made 
man whose father died 
when he was just 11 
years old, who started 
out with no money and 
was self-taught, Burt’s 
ascent was impressive 
and has defined his life 
from the start. 
It’s a testament to his entre-
preneurial spirit and personal 
dynamism that the founding of 
Farbman Group and subsequently 
Huntington Construction were in 
many ways just the storied begin-
ning: among the first milestones 
in a life that was destined for 
many more to come. 
Burt Farbman, 80, of Franklin, 
died July 1, 2023.
With Burt serving as chairman 
and CEO, Farbman Group would 
establish itself as one of the indus-
try’s most respected providers of 
full-service real estate services 
and solutions throughout the 
Midwest. His vision was to create 
a leading full-service organization 
with the ability to handle all facets 
of commercial real estate. Today, 
Farbman Group employs more 
than 200 people and manages 
more than 30 million square feet 
of office, retail, multifamily, senior 
housing and industrial real estate. 
With divisions including property 
management, asset management, 
investment sales, construction, 
development, medical real estate 
and more, Farbman truly is the 
all-in-one real estate solution pro-
vider that Burt envisioned at its 
inception. 
Everything that makes 
Farbman Group special — and 

successful — originated in the 
character and personality of 
Burt Farbman. Farbman is an 
organization that does things the 
right way, with attentive 
service, personalized 
hands-on commitment, 
and attention to detail. 
It’s a place where deep 
local knowledge and 
premium resources are 
points of pride, and 
where an emphasis on 
quality helps build lasting 
partnerships with clients, 
tenants, owners and investors.
As a visionary who rose from 
humble beginnings to achieve 
enormous professional success, 
Burt’s work would have far-reach-
ing implications, including a 
legacy of transformative projects 
that have both literally and fig-
uratively reshaped the Detroit 
skyline. Highlights include the 
$30 million restoration of the Old 
Wayne County Building. One of 
the premier redevelopments in 
downtown Detroit, the project 
was recognized with a prestigious 
ULI award and was made possible 
in part because of Farbman’s work 
in helping to establish Detroit’s 
first public/private partnership. 
 Farbman developed the new 
Detroit Field Division of the Drug 
Enforcement Agency in down-
town Detroit, and Burt performed 
critical master planning work 
for Wayne County that fueled 
the growth of the Northville and 
Novi communities. He helped 
develop and implement the land 
acquisition strategies for the new 
Comerica Park and Ford Field, 
as well as for the Detroit Metro 
Airport expansion. 
Burt developed the Social 
Security Administration 
Building in Royal Oak, the Drug 
Enforcement Agency Building, 

several primary care satellite facili-
ties for the Detroit Medical Center 
throughout Metropolitan Detroit, 
developed the CBD YMCA and 
is responsible for building mil-
lions of square feet of the Troy 
Research and Development 
market. He developed the iconic 
3rd Riverfront Towers luxury 
apartment building in downtown 
Detroit — a project almost as 
memorable as his wild idea to 
promote the project by having 
Detroit Tigers star Cecil Fielder 
hit baseballs off the roof to a target 
on the Detroit River.

SERVING THE COMMUNITY
Burt’s leadership and support for 
Detroit’s institutions extended 
beyond commercial real estate. 
He served as the commission-
er of the Detroit Zoo for over 
20 years, donating millions to 
an institution that became not 
just a state highlight, but also a 
national one. He was the first 
Jewish chairman of the Southeast 
Michigan Branch of the YMCA, 
and he served as president of the 
Detroit Club and Franklin Hills 
Country Club. He was appoint-
ed by Mayor Mike Duggan to a 
position as Detroit Drug Czar 
and has served on the Board 
of Directors of the Detroit 
Economic Growth Corporation; 
Thorn Apple Valley; the 
Economic Club of Detroit; and 
the Detroit Legal News. 
He is a past chairman of the 
Detroit Chapter of the Young 
Presidents’ Organization, a 
member of the World Presidents 
Organization and a Steering 
Committee Member of the Urban 
Land Institute’s Detroit Regional 
District Council. 
Burt has given generously 
and regularly to a wide range of 
charitable causes, including the 

Karmanos Cancer Center and the 
Jewish Federation. He is a found-
ing patron of Beyond Basics and 
has been a board member of the 
Special Olympics of Southwest 
Florida.
Burt was an organic intellec-
tual who taught classes at the 
University of Detroit and taught 
photography in the classrooms 
of Herman Elementary and 
Charles C. Rogers Academy. A 
true renaissance man with wide 
and varied interests ranging from 
fishing and farming to horseback 
riding and photography, Burt was 
a raconteur and an adventurer. 
An innovator and entrepreneur. 
A lifelong student, an enthusiastic 
teacher and a natural leader. A 
lifelong advocate for AIPAC and 
a true American patriot. A man 
whose curiosity and compassion 
fueled his personal passions and 
his professional accomplish-
ments, and a CEO who built an 
empire that started with little 
more than hard work and his 
handshake. 
But most of all he was a man 
who loved nothing more than 
spending time with his family, 
his wife, Suzy; his sons Andy and 
David; and his many grandchil-
dren. He instilled his entrepre-
neurial spirit in Andy and David 
and beamed with pride at all they 
accomplished and the good peo-
ple they are. He loved his wife, 
Suzy, who was a true partner to 
him and who stood with him 
through good and bad times, 
always with love in her heart. 
Burt was a philanthropist and 
a civic treasure who invested 
his time and energy in building 
a better Detroit. He was a man 
who loved his work, his city, and 
his family and friends, and who 
leaves a legacy that honors them 
all. 

Visionary, Leader, Family Man: 
 
An Inspired Life.

Burt Farbman