Detroit House Salvage Yards

I am famiar with the Architectural Warehouse on Grand River - which really doesn't have much. And there's Senate Resale [[which is a good source). Those are both serious retail operations. I'm loooking for a place that might have old kitchen sinks, cast iron laundry sinks, beams, etc. There used to be a big salvage warehouse on the east side - Columbo's - that had lots of stuff in a really scruffy atmosphere - but its gone.

In the shelter magazines, salvage yards are often mentioned as sources. Does Detroit only have two such reatil operations - this city of abandoned buildings?

Columbo's is unofficially now on Newbern, just north of the WB Davison Fwy entrance just w of Conant. He still has the keys to the old warehouse on Nevada @ Ryan. Most of the sinks, along with anything metal were swiped during the great scrap metal run of 2008. He still has stuff though.

If you really want an old sink or toilet or claw foot tub, go see Mod Steve at the Cadieux Farmhouse at E Warren & Cadieux. He's got cast as well as vitreous fixtures. He's an eccentric and doesn't really keep "hours", so it may be necessary to go twice. He can rebuild many older plumbing parts [[pre 1900) if he can't find them or fix them, and still services many an old house in IV or GP, but he ain't neccessarily cheap. He's got old Detroit relics in there that will make your head spin, and a 45 collection to die for.

If you're interested in meeting him, the full moon is best, as he opens up his house to friends, customers, and guests. I'm serious. He probably has something you're looking for, and alot you didn't know you were looking for.

I've got a buddy in Philly who contacts all the Demo Co.s and gets into those buildings weeks or days before the demo starts. With a crew, they harvest all the doors, trim, and fixtures, then the flooring [[he has a guy out in front with a pneumatic nail blower which removes the toe-nails the way they came in, so as to not damage the wood), and then they grab the beams. It's quite an efficient operation, especially in larger bldgs, where they harvest tons and tons of marble and brick. They then catalog and warehouse it, even list it online,then sell it, often making deliveries up and down the coast and even to Michigan.

We need something like that here, cuz most of this stuff is winding up in landfills.