AUGUST 31 • 2023 | 17

OUR COMMUNITY
community members to solve 
the world’s most pressing 
issues surrounding mobility,” 
said Sean White, Michigan 
Central’s director of strategy. 
Josh Sirefman is the CEO.
Open since 2022, the Book 
Depository is host to more 
than 40 companies and 150 members 
“creating and scaling new technologies 
and solutions,” White said. Among the 
tenants is a satellite office of Electeon, 
headquartered in Tel Aviv. “Electeon is a 
leading Israeli company working on tech-
nology for wireless-charging solutions 
in electric vehicles,” he said. When the 
Michigan Central Station’s $740-million 
renovation is completed, anticipated for 
summer 2024, the first level will offer 
retail stores, restaurants, coffee shops 
and a Michigan Central Station history 
lounge. Upstairs will be office space for 
Ford employees and other tenants. 

A JEWISH HUB IN THE CITY
Prior to a lunch break in Capitol Park, the 
bus stopped on Griswold Street to give 
riders a look at the newly renovated Isaac 
Agree Downtown Synagogue (IADS). 
An immediately noticeable change is the 
street-level windows. Roberts, an IADS 
member, is co-chair of the building’s ren-
ovation committee in addition to being 
on the capital campaign committee. 
“The renovation of the Downtown 
Synagogue is an extension of the projects 
Civic pursues in our business,” he said. 
“We’re thrilled to get to do a project like 
this as volunteers for the Jewish commu-

nity.” The public grand opening of IADS 
took place on Aug. 27 (See last week’s cover 
story). 

BEDROCK IN ACTION
Before the bus returned to Southfield, 
Andrew Leber, vice president of 
hospitality for Bedrock, 
addressed the group inside 
the dazzling Book Tower 
skyscraper. Located at 1265 
Washington Blvd., the Book 
Tower once was a prime 
focus of “ruin porn” photog-
raphy. After viewing it with 
the others, Nachman said 
his impression is that “the building is in 
as good a shape now as it was when it 
was new.” 
Acquired by Bedrock in 2015, the 
revitalization of the 486,760-square-
foot Book Tower (opened in 1926) is 
considered “one of the most significant 
historic rehabilitation projects ever 
undertaken in Detroit,” Leber said. The 
award-winning New York-based archi-
tecture firm ODA leads the continuing 
historic renovation and interior design 
of Book Tower. Morris Adjmi Architects 
designed the custom furniture for the 
ROOST apartment residential units at 
Book Tower, where the studios, and 
one- and two-bedrooms units already 
are being leased.
ROOST Detroit at Book Tower, 
Leber explained, is one component of 
the overall Book Tower development, 
featuring an additional 229 residen-
tial units (managed separately from 

ROOST), 52,000 square feet of retail and 
office space, two restaurants designed by 
Philadelphia-based Stokes Architecture, 
a hotel lobby bar and lounge, a bread 
and pastry bakery, and a rooftop event 
space with sweeping views of the city. 
To get everything accomplished, Leber 
said Bedrock injected nearly $40 mil-
lion dollars into the building’s historical 
renovation. “Our company brought in a 
couple of firms to restore the building’s 
original rotunda,” he said, directing eyes 
to an intricate, stained-glass design on 
the ceiling. 
Several on the tour shared later how 
uplifting they found the day. They 
learned how every new or announced 
project is contributing to changing the 
trajectory of Detroit, a grand old city 
that many always felt was worth saving. 
“I enjoyed presenting information 
to these older adults, excited about the 
future,” Roberts said. 
That seemed only natural for partic-
ipants like Sharon Alterman. “We have 
our heart in the city, where most of us 
grew up,” she said. “We wanted to see 
all the amazing things happening in 
Downtown Detroit.” 
“We had so many great folks who pre-
sented,” Roberts added. “I was grateful 
to these very busy people for making the 
time to do that. I thank them for being 
right on time to step on the bus to speak 
to the tour participants.”
“The passion and dedication of these 
young developers is so gratifying,” 
Alterman said. It gives you a warm, 
fuzzy feeling.” 

catered kosher lunch for $5, with a high-
er cost charged for occasional field trips, 
such as the bus trip to Detroit on July 17. 
Among the memorable programs 
was Owen Alterman’s “Insider’s view of 
Israel” in May. He works as a senior dip-
lomat correspondent at a television sta-
tion in Israel. Some attending Alterman’s 
lecture remembered his late parents, 
Susan and attorney Irwin Alterman, who 
were active in the local Jewish commu-
nity.
 In June, Coffee House took a look 
at “75 years of Israeli Music and What 
it Reveals About the Soul of Music,” 
Ashkenazi said, as part of the syna-

gogue’s various “Israel at 75” commem-
orations. 
Howard Lupovitch, history professor 
and director of the WSU Cohn-Haddow 
Center for Judaic Studies in Detroit, 
lectured in December on “What is the 
Sustainability of Conservative Judaism?”
In addition to Joy and her series 
co-sponsor husband, Allan Nachman, 
the Coffee House host committee cur-
rently includes Sharon Alterman, David 
Broner, Gayle and Richard J. Burstein, 
Lynda Giles, Barbra Giles, Wendy 
Handler, Betsy Kellman, Susan Kozik 
Klein, Barbara Kratchman, Sharon 
Lipton, and Dottie and Don Wagner. 

Sean White

Andrew 
Leber

