In this week’s Fellow Spotlight, we are checking in with Ann Phillips. She fills us in on what she enjoys most about Detroit, her host company, Saroki Architecture, and what she enjoys most about being a Challenge Detroit Fellow.

Tell us about living in Detroit. What neighborhood do you live in and what things make it unique and exciting?

“Built in 1901, this police station was designed to imitate the style of the lavish upper-class homes
of the surrounding Woodbridge Neighborhood.” –Julia Teran for the Detroit Historical Society

I live in the Woodbridge neighborhood and I love it. The neighborhood was established in 1887 and was listed as an Historic District in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. As written by Julia Teran for the Detroit Historical Society, “The Woodbridge Neighbhorhood is notable as an intact, turn-of-the-century streetcar suburb containing architecturally significant residential and commercial buildings. It is recognized for its primarily Victorian style homes, which stand as rare survivors of the Victorian Era. Most of the buildings in the Woodbridge Neighborhood were built after 1870, beginning with small cottages.” I live in a 3-story brick row house that was built in 1915 with my housemate-Denise, her dog-Jane, her cat-Zero, and my cat-Midge. We have a shared back yard where we enjoy grill-outs during the summer and fall months. With beautiful tree-lined streets, I thoroughly enjoy the walkability of the neighborhood and the tight-knit community of neighborhood residents. In addition, the attractions of Downtown, Midtown, Corktown, and New Center are within walking and biking distance. As a designer and preservationist, I value the character of the structure and neighborhood in which I choose to reside and Woodbridge could not be a better fit.

My fellow fellow, Elizabeth Grabowski and I, presenting at the Drinks x Design PechaKucha Night at the Carr Center.

What do you enjoy most about living, working, playing, giving and leading in Detroit?

The people with whom I live, work, play, give, and lead are what I enjoy most. From my fellow Challenge Detroit fellows to Detroiters whose families have lived here for generations, I enjoy meeting and interacting with the diverse set of individuals who call Detroit home.

The office of Saroki Architecture is located at 430 N. Old Woodward in Birmingham, MI

Tell us about your host company and your role in the organization.

I work at Saroki Architecture in a northwest suburb of Detroit called Birmingham. The award-winning architecture and interiors firm, founded by Victor and Michelle Saroki, has been in existence since 1983. I am pursuing my architectural license and serve as an architectural designer within the office.

Our team of fellows working with the 8MBA was comprised of fellows with backgrounds in Public Relations, Journalism, Architecture, Education, Politics, and Business.

What have you learned from Challenge Detroit over the past year?

Problem solving and communication skills—specifically as it relates to working with multi-disciplinary professionals. It has been thoroughly rewarding to work towards solutions with colleagues who have different professional perspectives than my own. I truly believe this experience has made me a more deliberate and respectful communicator and thinker.

I became a fellow because…DETROIT MATTERS!

What kind of impact do you hope you’ve made within your host company and within the city?

I hope to have brought a bit of levity and a fresh perspective to the office along with meaningful interactions concerning the role of architecture and the changing face of the city of Detroit. Through my involvement with various professional and community-based organizations in the city, I hope to have demonstrated my commitment to making Detroit my home while embracing and honoring its history.

What are you most looking forward to in the final month of Challenge Detroit?

With a single month left in the year-long fellowship, I look forward to our final “challenge”—our Social Impact challenge. Partnering with fellows Elizabeth Grabowski, Annie Hakim, and Sarms Jabra, we will be working with RecoveryPark in an effort to sustainably activate portions of the large area of land the organization recently acquired—stay tuned! In addition, I look forward to future opportunities to implement the full range of skills that I have gained over the past year.

The entrance to the historic Chene Ferry Market is one of the areas we will be focusing on activating during our final challenge.

Also, be sure to check out Ann’s video to learn more about her time in Detroit, so far.