Frank & Seder Building

The Lofts of Merchants Row, formerly the Frank & Seder Department Store Building, is a 41m 6-storey high-rise completed in 1891 on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The building was the tallest in the state when built, and later joined with the larger addition directly to the south in 1921. The upper part of the facade is cast iron, reputedly the last such facade in Detroit.Frank & SederRussian Jewish immigrants Isaac Seder and Jacob H. Frank started a wholesale women's wear business in the early 1900s, then switched to retail, opening a downtown Pittsburgh store in 1907. The business grew, expanding into a department store, and adding locations in New York City, Philadelphia and Detroit.The Pittsburgh Frank & Seder was expanded in 1913, but destroyed by fire in 1917 at a loss of $600,000; its replacement was completed in 1918.The first Frank & Seder Philadelphia store opened in 1915, reopened in 1925 with 250000ft2, and was joined by a 60,000ft2 branch store for women's wear in 1929. F&S built an eight-story Detroit store on Woodlawn Avenue with 180-foot frontage and financial capital of $3,000,000; "one unit" of the store opened in April 1921 while construction was apparently ongoing. An initial design called for a 12-story building, 120 by 150 feet, reinforced concrete, brick, and steel.National Department Stores acquired the Frank & Seder group of stores in 1923, including Frank & Seder, Inc. (Pittsburgh); Lewin-Nieman Co. (Pittsburgh); Fink Co. (Philadelphia); Frank A Seder Co. of Philadelphia and Frank & Seder Co. of Detroit.