Federal Reserve Building Reimagination

Detroit’s Federal Reserve Bank sat vacant for a decade before ROSSETTI was tasked with reimagining the entire building. The classical revival-style structure, designed by Minoru Yamasaki in 1951, is distinguished by its glass annex, offering designers both unique opportunities and challenges. ROSSETTI collaborated with Detroit’s Historic District Commission to preserve the building’s architectural heritage while transforming it for 21st-century functionality.

The open, light-filled ground floor features a lobby that is porous and transparent, seamlessly integrating into the surrounding business district. A Japanese-American restaurant, Soraya, occupies the ground-level retail space. Designed by ROSSETTI, the restaurant’s interior architecture incorporates the building’s original materials and aesthetic, including the terrazzo flooring, clay fire brick walls, and a revolving door repurposed as a private dining booth. The undulating ceiling mirrors the form found in the lobby and is charred black to honor traditional Japanese finishing techniques. Additional materials, furniture, and fixtures were layered to create a warm and relaxing environment, activating the building’s ground floor throughout the day and evening.

The reimagined building also includes eight floors of office space, three of which were designed by ROSSETTI. These spaces celebrate the building’s original character while introducing modern functionality. As part of the redesign, ROSSETTI relocated its headquarters to the building, designing its office as an urban loft studio. Additional tenants, including several subsidiaries of Rocket Companies, have since moved in, transforming the building into a dynamic space that integrates tenants, staff, and visitors within a revitalized Detroit environment.