26 | SEPTEMBER 7 • 2023 

A

lbert Kahn was a 
leading architect 
of the first half of 
the 21st century. His factory 
designs helped Henry Ford 
transform automotive manu-
facturing. Kahn’s beautiful and 
stately structures, including 
the Fisher Building, Belle Isle 
Aquarium and two Temple 
Beth El buildings in Detroit, 
as well as Hill Auditorium 
and many iconic classroom 
buildings at the University of 
Michigan, are well-known and 
much admired.
The son of a German rabbi 
who immigrated to Detroit in 
1880, Kahn learned drafting, 
design and architecture on the 
job beginning at age 12. He 
eventually began his own firm, 
which designed thousands of 
buildings all over the world. 
His brother Julius devel-
oped a concrete bar that 
facilitated the construction of 
Albert Kahn-designed facto-
ries. While the two brothers 
and their male descendants 
became successful in multiple 
fields, the women of the Albert 
Kahn family were also entre-
preneurial, artistic and a force 
in their own right.
“It’s time for the women 
to come out of the shadows,” 
says Carol Rose Kahn, Albert 
Kahn’s granddaughter. 
Through extensive research, 
she has accumulated a trove of 
photos, letters and documents 
that tell the stories of the 
grandmothers, aunts, nieces 
and sisters of the Kahn family. 
Her interest began when she 
did an oral history with her 
father, the late Edgar Kahn, 

for a class at the University of 
Michigan. Her Aunt Rosalie 
gave her a collection of love 
letters written by Albert and 
Ernestine Kahn. These are 
now archived at the Bentley 
Historical Library at the 
University of Michigan.
Carol Kahn learned that her 
Great Aunt Mollie Kahn Fuchs 
helped mix the concrete bars 
that Julius Kahn would pat-
ent — the beginning of what 
became a huge business. She 
also was co-founder and then 
operated a family business that 
created color blueprints, which 
were very useful for Albert 
Kahn’s architecture business. 
Lydia Kahn Malbin, one of 
Edgar’s sisters, became recog-

nized internationally for her 
knowledge and collection of 
modern European art. 
Kahn will discuss the lives 
and achievements of the 
women of the Kahn family 
at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 
13, at the Hawk Farmington 
Hills Community Center. The 
lecture will also be available 
via Zoom. The program is 
presented jointly by the Albert 
Kahn Legacy Foundation and 
the Jewish Historical Society of 
Michigan. 
To register, visit 
AlbertKahnlegacy.org/events 
or jhsmichigan.org/calen-
dar. The Hawk is located at 
29995 W
. 12 Mile Road in 
Farmington Hills. 

Hear their story in a historical presentation on Sept. 13.

The Women of the 
Albert Kahn Family

SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

KAHN FAMILY WITH ARCHIVAL ASSISTANCE FROM MICHAEL SMITH AND ANNABELLE OTTO

The Kahn family celebrates Albert Kahn’s Chevalier of the Legion 
honor from France at a dinner at the Kahn home in Detroit in 1937.

The Kahn family at the opening of Albert and Ernestine Kahn’s art 
gallery in their Detroit home.

OUR COMMUNITY

Homophobic graffiti was 
found on the sidewalk out-
side the Jewish Resource 
Center near the University 
of Michigan campus in late 
August. 

University of Michigan 
president Santa Ono released 
this statement:

“We are aware of the 
homophobic graffiti that has 
been reported to Ann Arbor 
Police on the sidewalk in 
front of the Jewish Resource 
Center, an organization 
located near our campus that 
provides support to students 
seeking to stay involved or 
become involved in Judaism. 
The Jewish Resource Center 
is an important and valued 
part of our campus commu-
nity.
“This is the second act 
of vandalism at a Jewish-
centered location in the past 
three months. We strongly 
denounce this act of vandal-
ism and all antisemitic acts. 
These incidents are in direct 
conflict with the university’s 
deeply held values of respect 
and inclusion and have no 
place within our community.
“We are proud of our 
thriving Jewish life in Ann 
Arbor and on our campus. 
We offer our full support to 
any affected University of 
Michigan students through 
our Campus Climate 
Support program in the 
Dean of Students Office and 
the Spectrum Center.”
Anyone with information 
about the vandalism is asked 
to contact the Ann Arbor 
Police Department at (734) 
794-6920 or through the tip 
line, (734) 794-6939. 

U-M Jewish 
Resource Center 
Defaced

