Ten Forty Club, 1040 Wayne St- Detroit

[Detroitgayhistoryguy]

O.k. At first I felt guilty asking for help finding out info on stuff, but now I think you guys enjoy the hunt! This place I'm pretty sure is torn down, but I'm not 100%. Wayne st downtown looks like it was all changed to Washington st. On Aug 29, 1937 the mob wanted to kill a gangster named Harry Millman. He had came to the Ten Forty club in his LaSalle coupe and valeted his car. When he left at 2:30, a black valet named Willie Holmes went to get his car. Ten sticks of dynamite were wired to the spark plugs, when Willie started the car he was blown up. The hood of the LaSalle was found on top of a five story building! The mob still got Millman, he was shot and killed at Boesky's Deli on Nov 25 1937.

I do see one picture in this book about the purple gang of the 1040 club, so I have some reference. Any more pictures out there? Is the place still standing? [[Although, I don't think so)

[EastsideAl]

The street was reconfigured a bit there when Wayne was joined with Washington Blvd. [[not Washington "St.") and renamed back around 1960, but 1040 Wayne was approximately where the parking lot behind the Holiday Inn Express is today.

It was a small triangular building in the middle of the block between Lafayette and Michigan. From the 1928 city directory it looks like that building was mostly occupied by real estate companies.

Here is a photo that is apparently of the aftermath of the incident in question. It looks like it was a really bad moment for poor Willie Holmes.


Here is a website with this picture and 2 more that the site owner claims was found in a box on the street:
http://motorcityspeedworks.blogspot....-gang-hit.html

The building in the background here sure looks to me like the nearby, and still standing, Federal Building. But another of the photos here shows a wall with a number of theatrical posters on it for shows at the nearby [[and long gone) Cass Theater. The geography doesn't really work for both of those things to be true though.

[Ray1936]

I never liked to valet my car, but in view of the above, maybe I'll think twice about that.........

[rb336]

I never liked to valet my car, but in view of the above, maybe I'll think twice about that.........

why? are you in a bad way with the mob?

[Detroitgayhistoryguy]

The street was reconfigured a bit there when Wayne was joined with Washington Blvd. [[not Washington "St.") and renamed back around 1960, but 1040 Wayne was approximately where the parking lot behind the Holiday Inn Express is today.

Ok, thanks Al. Another one solved.