Preservationist who helped save Detroit's theater district dies at 92

Charles Alexander Forbes, a visionary and driving force to protect and preserve Detroit’s unique architectural profile and social and cultural scene, died Sept. 29. He was 92.

Forbes was born to Scottish immigrants in Highland Park and attended Detroit Public Schools. He graduated as class president in 1948 from Henry Ford Trade School and, after two years of military service, attended Wayne State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business while working at Ford Motor Co.

Later, Forbes received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the WSU School of Business and was honored as the school's Alumni of the Year in 1995.

Forbes was employed by Ford for more than 30 years in a variety of marketing and real estate management positions. The Bloomfield Hills resident, known as Chuck to many, retired from the company at age 51 to continue his work in partnership syndications and to launch a third career devoted to preserving Detroit’s historic theater district. He was president of Forbes Management.

“He was a critical part of putting Detroit on the right path many years ago,“ said architect Mark Nickita, co-founder and president of Archive DS, who met Forbes when he was a student working on a city planning project at Lawrence Technological University.

“He loved old buildings; he loved the history. He loved the great structures and the history of the city and the architecture and all the urbanism. He hated the thought that they would decline and potentially be demolished at some point.”

The entrepreneur and developer assembled more than 40 properties for renovation and saw placement of seven facilities on the National Register of Historic Places.

"It was a great a gift to have been able to work with him downtown for the past 32 years, said his daughter Alyn Thomas. "Dad was a visionary and a man devoted to protecting Detroit's architectural treasures. He was a simple man who achieved great things and changed the landscape of downtown Detroit for generations to come. As he would have said, 'It's marvelous when you think about it.'"

The Fox, State and Gem theaters are among the architectural treasures Forbes helped save. When the site of the Gem, the Century Club building and Elwood restaurant was slated for stadium development, Forbes dedicated his efforts and resources to save these historic structures through relocation rather than demolition.

All three buildings were moved five blocks (1,850 feet) from their original locations to 333 Madison and 300 E. Adams in November 1997. The move of the Gem and Century building, which weighed more than 5.5 million pounds, qualified for the Guinness Book of World Records. It's designated the heaviest building ever moved on wheels.

"Chuck always made a strong case that Detroit historic buildings were important and needed to be saved. He was a major voice for preservation when many didn’t believe in that approach and advocated for demolition," Nickita said in a Facebook post.

In 1998, Forbes received an honorary doctorate from Central Michigan University for his work to rebuild Detroit’s theater district.

Forbes was also passionate about all things related to Ford, and that passion included his love for the Model A vehicle. He owned several and was a member of the Model A Restorers Club. He enjoyed hosting Model A outings in downtown Detroit.

Proud of his Scottish heritage and the tiny fishing village of Pennan, Scotland, on the North Sea, Forbes was the sixth in a line of nine generations alternately naming their firstborn sons Charles or James, a tradition that began in 1880.

“It was a five-in-one loss for me," James Forbes said about his father. "He was my father, my best friend, my mentor, my boss and actually my hero.”

Forbes was the son to James and Mary Forbes, brother to Margaret Koltz (Oliver), husband of 40 years to Joanne Forbes (Payez), father to Alyn Thomas (David), James Forbes (Pamela) and stepfather to Jeffrey Vivian (Dawn), Catherine Mullins and Darryl Singleton (Chuck). He is also survived by 10 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, a niece and nephew.

A memorial service is scheduled for Nov. 20 at the Gem Theatre in Detroit. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a GoFundMe page established to raise funds to develop and carry out essential repairs to Pennan Harbour to safeguard it for future generations.

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. To subscribe, go to freep.com/specialoffer.