Historic Detroit Building To Become Event Space, Steakhouse

DETROIT — An Oakland County real estate company plans to turn a historic Detroit building into a new steakhouse and host events.

West Bloomfield's Barbat Holdings bought the historic Grand Army of the Republic Building, which is the castle-like triangular building located in the intersection of Cass, Grand River and Adams avenues in downtown Detroit. The firm did not say how much they bought the building for.

"The GAR Building has been an icon since opening in the late 1800s," Chairman and CEO of Barbat Holdings Joe Barbat said. "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."

The new owners said they plan to host events throughout the five-story, 30,000 square-foot building and feature a new steakhouse called Prime Concepts Detroit. The owners plan to open the new building in the spring.

The building was originally built in 1899 as a gathering place for Civil War veterans. The building was renovated between 2011 and 2015 by Sean Emery along with brothers Tom and David Carleton. The renovation won the 2019 Governor's Award for Historic Preservation.