The Jeffersonian apartment building finds new owners

A familiar Gold Coast apartment building will see much-needed upgrades in the near future. The Jeffersonian, a 29-story building near the Detroit River (next to the Joseph Berry Subdivision) was sold to Joe Barbat and Arie Leibovitz for an undisclosed amount. Q10 | Lutz Financial Services arranged the renovation and acquisition financing.

The 1965 building, designed by Gino Rossetti, has 410 units ranging from one to four bedrooms. According to a press release, all of the units and the lobby will receive updates. The new owners also plan on adding a new gym, a ground floor restaurant, a café, and additional amenities. The property, which had been in the original developer’s family until the sale, also has a swimming pool, tennis court, and valet service.

Barbat owns multiple properties around Detroit. Regis Houze in New Center and Briggs Houze downtown have opened in recent years. He also owns two other properties that were on deck for renovation—Gabriel Houze and Philip Houze—but we haven’t seen or heard anything about those for a while. They both have 2018 dates on their website.