KIRK PINHO

e Grand Army of the Republic Building downtown has sold to Joe Barbat.

Colloquially known as the GAR Building, the castle-esque ve-story property at 1942 Grand River Ave. at Cass Avenue is expected to be converted from its current o ce and event space use into purely event space with a new steakhouse on the ground oor replacing the old Parks & Rec Diner and Republic Tavern restaurants, according to a press release.

e purchase price for the property, which had been owned by Tom Carleton, David Carleton and Sean Emery, was not disclosed. e local o ces of Colliers International Inc. brokered the sale, which closed on Tuesday. It had been on the market since June 2021.

“Situated in the heart of the District Detroit and Grand Circus Park, the GAR Building has been an icon since opening in the late 1800s,” Barbat, who is chairman and CEO of West Bloom eld Township-based Barbat Holdings, said in the press release. “We plan to allocate space for a public memorial room that will display many artifacts that have been left behind to ensure that the building’s historic character is preserved and highlighted. Our team is honored to add this historic landmark to our portfolio of properties.” e GAR Building was built starting in 1899 and ending in 1901 e ectively as a “a hangout for the city’s Civil War veterans,” according to Historic Detroit, which tracks Detroit buildings and architecture.

As the years wore on and the war’s veterans began to die o , the building, constructed on land deeded to the city by former Michigan Gov. Lewis Cass, became sporadically used, Historic Detroit says.

“One of the things that was important to the seller was nding a buyer who would be a good steward of the real estate and take the same pride of ownership and same care and commitment to the building as they have,” Benji Rosenzweig, one of the two Colliers brokers working on the sale along with Ben Hubert, said. “We really believe we found that in the Barbat Holdings.”

Barbat’s other Detroit real estate investments include the former Briggs Hotel, 114 W. Adams Ave., which is now the Briggs Houze with 117 units; the former Gabriel Richard Building, 305 Michigan Ave., which is now the 112-unit Gabriel Houze; the former Philip J. Neudeck Building, 415 Cli ord St., which is now the Philip Houze and has 90 units; and the Regis Houze in the New Center area, formerly the annex of the St. Regis Hotel on West Grand Boulevard. He put three of those buildings up for sale in the summer. He also previously owned the Je ersonian Houze building at 9000 E. Je erson Ave.; that high-rise was ultimately taken back by lender Fannie Mae following a legal battle that included other former owner Arie Leibovitz. His apartment buildings are referred to as “Houze” properties instead of “House” because of a website domain name availability issue several years ago.

Barbat, the founder of Wireless Toyz, began investing in Detroit real estate in 2014, assembling properties and largely turning them into multifamily housing.

Contact: kpinho@crain.com; (313) 446-0412; @kirkpinhoCDB

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