Detroit Buildings Recently Added to the National Register of Historic Sites
On March 20, the Department of the Interior added two Detroit buildings to the National Register.
Great Lakes Manor apartment at 457 East Kirby was added. This is a 1926 building constructed by the Pelavin Brothers and it reflects this history of segregation in Detroit. When built, the neighborhood had a largely Jewish population but as the middle and upper class African American population grew, racial succession occurred and the neighborhood was home to many African American. The building was sold to Great Lakes Mutual in 1936, one of the largest and most prosperous firms owned by African American at that time. The renamed it Great Lakes Manor. Later Great Lakes Mutual merged with North Carolina Mutual, the large and prosperous North Carolina insurance firm. As Detroit lost population, the
building deteriorated and was, apparently, vacant by 1989. In 2019, the city invested in the rehabilitation of the building and reduced the number of apartments from 40 to 21. That renovation is now complete.
The other structure is the Warren Motor Car building at 1331 Holden. This vehicle firm was founded in 1909 by Homer Warren and produced cars through 1914. In 1911, they offered eight different models. This building is now a center for recycling. There is a picture of this building on the www.Detroit1701.org website.
