Philip Kafka

Philip Kafka is the Founder and President of Prince Concepts, a development company that makes strategic investments to revitalize blighted inner-city neighborhoods. Kafka began redevelopment work in Detroit in late 2012, where he has focused on abandoned sections of the Core City neighborhood of Detroit. He currently owns 25 contiguous acres where he has completed the development and renovation of previously derelict buildings slated for demolition. This development work has occurred across a variety of programs and manifests as small projects, including the True North live/work housing development and the Caterpillar apartments. Architect Edwin Chan, founder of EC3 and previous Design Partner with Frank Gehry, has designed many of these projects for Kafka. They include public parks and spaces incorporating over 600 new trees designed by landscape architect Julie Bargmann of D.I.R.T. studio. These projects are constructed with a consistent attitude – one that promotes and prioritizes high quality space – public and private. Kafka has also taken his development philosophy to Fort Worth, Texas where the inaugural PS 1200 project, designed by AIA Gold Medal Winner Marlon Blackwell, along with landscape design by Bargmann, will have its official opening in Fall 2023.

Kafka’s projects have received many prestigious design awards. In 2021, Kafka’s company, Prince Concepts, was named Best Developer in the Midwest by Architect’s Newspaper, and in 2022, Prince Concepts was named one of the ten most innovative architecture focused companies in the world by Fast Company. Philip is frequently invited to lecture at schools including Illinois Institute of Technology, Fay Jones School of Architecture, the Harvard GSD, Yale, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State in Detroit. Kafka’s projects have also been recognized for their design excellence by Progressive Architect, The Architect’s Newspaper, and as a Finalist for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. PS 1200 is a Finalist for The Dallas Architecture Forum’s Design Recognition: Looking Forward competition in the “Retail and Mixed Use” category. Kafka serves on the boards of Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit and the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize.

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