Friday, 4 March 2005 :: 10:12 pm

Honoring the life of Max Fisher (1908-2005)

Max Fisher was one of the wealthiest people from Detroit and a successful businessman. He died at the age of 96 on Thursday at around 11:30 a.m. at his home located in Farmington Hills, MI.

Mr. Fisher made millions of dollars from the oil business. He wasn't one who kept his money to himself. He donated his money to local area charities and other worthy causes.

Many people believe that the Fisher Building was named after him. The truth to that story is that he had an office on the 27th floor of that building. It was built by another family with the same last name that made it big in the automobile industry.

He had lots of friends not only in Detroit but around the world as well. Max Fisher knew A. Alfred Taubman who made it big in the shopping center industry. He also knew former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Max Fisher was a friend of former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger as well as former Detroit mayor Coleman A. Young. Although, Fisher was known as a quiet, shy man.

He donated $10 million to help build the Max M. Fisher Music Center which was named after him. The project actually cost $60 million to complete. It opened in 2003 and serves as the home to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as well as other concerts and events.

Max M. Fisher was born in 1908. His parents, Velvil Fisch and Malka Brody originated in Russia. They later moved to Salem, Ohio where he spent the most of his time growing up as a kid. He attended the Ohio State University with a football scholarship.

When he graduated in 1930, he drove to Detroit. He lived in northwest Detroit on a street called Collingwood Ave. Fisher was a salesman for his dad's Keystone Oil Refining Co. He later sold his stock in the company for $83 million.

Max Fisher was said to have convinced Henry Ford II to build the Renaissance Center on the riverfront in downtown Detroit. The building has emerged as the image of the city of Detroit. It cost $337 million to build the RenCen. The RenCen now serves as a Marriott hotel and home to the General Motors Headquarters.

Funeral services for Max M. Fisher are scheduled to be held on Sunday at 11 a.m. The location is the Congregation Shaarey Zedek at 27375 Bell Rd. in Southfield.

The Renaissance Center, a dream inspired by the great Max. M Fisher.

Sources:

The Detroit Free Press