Former building at Grand River & Hubbell

Hi members! Just need a bit of information on the building in thses photos, that use to be located on the north-west corner of Grand River and Hubbell.

I'm about to post a photo on my transit history website that includes this building in the background. From time to time I like to add a footnote or two about the area pictured in a photo, but I need a little help in identifying this building.

Here's a Google Maps photo link [[I hope this works):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=grand+river+a t+hubbell,+detroit,+mi&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.371289,56.337891&ie=UTF8&hq=gran d+river+at+hubbell,&hnear=Detroit,+Wayne,+Michigan &t=h&layer=c&cbll=42.388726,-83.188604&panoid=8EuZxmHMWSFvE_O8hPwh8A&cbp=12,357 .73,,0,-9.29&ll=42.388766,-83.188713&spn=0,0.003396&z=18

Here's a photo of the building around the 1950's:
Attachment 6465
Anyone here happen to know the history behind this building? It looks like it might have been a school of some kind[[???). I understand it was demolished sometime last year.

Might have been an Episcopal Church? I recall that unusual building being a church. Unusual design. Looked like it was designed to capitalize on the Grand River frontage- most of the frontage on Grand River was store fronts.

Edit- a little more Google searching, found a Flicker album with a photo of the Hubbell frontage
[[the church sanctuary)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71288712@N00/1466527060/

The building on Grand River is the Parish House of what was once St Paul's Episcopal. It was designed by Lancelot Sukert and I think may have had commercial tenants on the first floor at one time.

Pays to search the board:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=1889

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Originally Posted by Historyguy

The building on Grand River is the Parish House of what was once St Paul's Episcopal. It was designed by Lancelot Sukert and I think may have had commercial tenants on the first floor at one time.

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Aha! Another building by Sukert! I've known that he is the architect who designed the Scarab Club, but I've never found any additional info on him.

Historyguy: Do you know any more details about him? and any other buildings he designed?

Hmmn, indeed a wealth of info at that link. I've been inside that church some twenty years ago with parents during one of it's many active church permutations before it finally went abandoned. What a waste! And yeah once the roof was damaged by the "strippers" it was indeed - OVER. That corner will not be the same.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Meddle

Pays to search the board:

http://www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?t=1889

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by econ expat

Edit- a little more Google searching, found a Flicker album with a photo of the Hubbell frontage
[[the church sanctuary)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/71288712@N00/1466527060/

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Thanks econ expat and all others for the links and info. St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal Church was definitely the answer I was looking for.

I was also able to come across a link on the congregation's subsequent merger with Saint Christopher's Episcopal, resulting in the current St. Christopher's-St. Paul's Episcopal Church on McNichols.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71288712@N00/433135383/

It also appears that the Pentecostal House of God, the newer church that still remains near that corner, owned the building before it was demolished.

Lancelot Sukert did a number of churches and educational buildings. He did St. Columba's Episcopal Church and the sunday school - social hall building which is very similar to that of St. Paul's; it's on East Jefferson a few blocks in from the Grosse Pointe border.

He also did the educational wing for Trinity Episcopal Church on Martin Luther King, west of Trumbull; and the former Boulevard Congregational Church on the SE corner of West Grand Boulevard and Warren.

Sukert worked for Albert Kahn for a while. I have a newspaper clipping of a rendering for a downtown bank by AK; the rendering is signed by Sukert.

I believe that the picture of the parish house for St. Paul's at Grand River and
Hubble is very similar to a similar building for St. Columba's Episcopal that
still stands near the intersection of Martinisque and East Jeffrerson just south
of the city's border.

At least in 1969, one of the businesses in the retail section was National Cash Register.

Thanks, mccarch!! I appreciate the leads. A quick Google search shows that Sukert is being credited quite a bit more now that we have so many websites covering Detroit buildings.

Lancelot Sukert also designed the Boulevard Congregational Church at 1510 West Grand Boulevard [[it is now the home of Carter Metropolitan CME). I am reasonably sure that Sukert was the co-designer of Emmanuel Episcopal Church on John R [[between McNichols and Seven Mile).

Used to live in the neighborhood. Does anyone else have photos from back in the 50's or 60's
of that area?
It used to be a city unto itself.

Excellent info! And thanks for the photo; the detail on that facade looks positively stupifying.

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Originally Posted by daddeeo

It used to be a city unto itself.

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It was one of several regional 'downtowns' if you will. Most of them have been discussed in separate threads.

Grand River & Oakman
7 Mile & Gratiot
Woodward & McNichols
7 Mile & Livernois
Vernor & Clark ?

There was one on the lower east side too, but I'm not sure where.

These were in the days when people didn't want to drive very far to shop.

This is by where the old church was razed. Henry Ford was married to Clara Jane Bryant at the old church. The Bryant farm was located at Grand River-Greenfield [[Division Rd. in old days) in late
1800's.

Sukert also design another building in the likeness of the St. Paul Episcopal Church on E. Jefferson between Chalmers and Alter Rd. The building is still there, but vacant.