[DetroitSky]

Historic Farwell Building in Detroit reopens after 30 years of vacancy

Another long-vacant Detroit building has been restored to active use. The Farwell Building, an early 20th Century commercial structure of mostly offices at 1249 Griswold in downtown's Capitol Park district, has reopened after more than 30 years of vacancy.

Originally designed by noted architect Harrie W. Bonnah, the building had a top-to-bottom restoration developed by Richard Karp of Lansing with his partners Richard Hosey and Kevin Prater. Kraemer Design Group of Detroit handled architectural duties.

The building now features a mix of retail, office and residential spaces.

Piquette Plant museum drives toward brighter future with improvements, expansion plans

As part of an ongoing effort to create as new exhibit every year to educate guests about Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co., the museum is also working to add a display that would re-create what a Ford dealership looked like in 1910, Shotwell said. The new exhibit is expected to be completed by December.

The automaker, which is not affiliated with the museum, is communicating with the museum on what was required in a dealership during that time period.

"Our visitors may be amazed that Ford recommended that a palm tree be in each dealership. Yes, you will see lots of palm trees in our photographs of dealerships and yes, you will see a large palm tree in Piquette's exhibit," Shotwell said in an emailed statement. "More research has shown that Ford competitors often had palm trees as well in its dealership showrooms."

The museum takes up 38,340 square feet on the second and third floors of the 67,000-square-foot building. It is shaping up plans to take over a portion of the first floor, now occupied by General Linen & Uniform Service, whose lease expires in 2021. That will bump up its total footprint to 50,300 square feet.

Large international brokerage Savills opens Detroit office

Savills plc, one of the world's largest commercial real estate brokerage firms, has opened an office in Detroit.

Formerly Savills Studley Inc. until March, the London-based company is open in WeWork space at 19 Clifford St. downtown following the hiring of Gregory Bockart Jr. and Peter McGrath from the Southfield office of Colliers International Inc.

It's the latest large international brokerage to set up its own outpost in the area, following Avison Young and Cushman & Wakefield in the last several years. Other new brokerages have emerged as well.

"Detroit has experienced an exciting transformation that has reimagined downtown and shifted market dynamics over the past 10 years," George Kohl, executive vice president who oversees Midwest operations for Savills, said in a press release. "Bringing on exceptional talent like Greg and Peter reflects the firm's commitment to delivering local expertise globally and deepens our investment in Midwest business hubs."

TCF, Chemical Bank finish merger with eye out for buying more banks

Chemical Bank completed its "merger of equals" with TCF Bank on Thursday, assuming the TCF brand in becoming the largest Michigan-based bank — one that's got its eyes open for the next acquisition and is aiming to go head-to-head with national banks for commercial banking business in metro Detroit.

"We want to be acquisition-ready," David Provost, the new executive vice chairman of TCF Financial Corp., said in an exclusive interview with Crain's.

But first TCF will be focused on integrating two Midwestern banks with about 500 branches across nine states and building up the TCF brand under a marketing campaign that, in Detroit, is expected to center on the renaming of Cobo Center as TCF Center and building a new downtown Detroit headquarters tower on Woodward Avenue.

The new Detroit-based TCF Bank, which has $47 billion in assets and $35 billion in deposits, becomes the 27th-largest bank in the country following Thursday's financial close of the $3.6 billion all-stock deal.

New 'Smith & Co.' restaurant & Nain Rouge Brewery to open in Midtown Detroit

DETROIT (WXYZ) — A new restaurant and brewery are heading to Detroit's Midtown neighborhood with the expectation that they will open in the fall. Smith & Co. will open at 664 Selden St. between 2nd and 3rd avenues in September.

According to a press release, the new restaurant will have a menu that focuses on the cultural blend that makes Detroit unique, with local ingredients and a Detroit vibe.

Smith & Co. will be a casual dining restaurant and open every day for dinner, with lunch on Saturdays and Sundays with brunch specials.

The news release also said that craft beer will be part of the new restaurant, featuring Nain Rouge Brewery and a hidden draft list featuring hard-to-find selections from other small, Michigan brewers.

The brewery is also expected to open in the coming months adjacent to Smith & Co., and the two will share a patio with beer sold exclusively at the restaurant, the release said.

German LiDAR Supplier Ibeo Automotive Systems Establishes U.S. Subsidiary in Detroit

Ibeo Automotive Systems, a LiDAR sensor supplier based in Hamburg, Germany, has opened a subsidiary in Detroit to address the growing demand for LiDAR technology among locally based automakers and suppliers.

Located in the PlanetM Landing Zone at 19 Clifford St., the new entity is called Ibeo Automotive USA Inc. Paula Jones, the former director of Gentherm Inc.’s customer business unit, is the new company’s president.

Jones, a University of Michigan graduate, has more than 20 years of experience and has held various executive positions within the automotive and technology sectors.

“We want to achieve greater growth in the U.S. market,” says Mario Brumm, director of global operations for Ibeo Automotive Systems. “Alongside China, it is one of the most important markets for autonomous driving. The incorporation of Ibeo Automotive USA Inc. was a logical next step for us.

DDOT and SMART awarded $2.6 million in federal grants for electric buses

The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) and the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) were just awarded $2.6 million in federal grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation for no emission bus technology. The Federal Transit Administration grants were part of its Low- or No Emission program and will enable the Southeast Michigan transit agencies to purchase six electric buses and build charging infrastructure.

The buses will be purchased from Proterra, a California-based electric bus manufacturer, and DTE Energy will support building the charging infrastructure. The buses will replace some older, diesel buses that the agencies have been using. They’re expected to be deployed in 2021.

DDOT has also been updating its fleet in recent years with newer buses equipped with Wi-Fi.