Shorpy: Help With Building Identification

**Packman41** · November-10-12, 08:57 AM

Name: 1912 XXXXX Building - AJ Construction.jpg
Views: 1953
Size: 63.2 KB

This photo was posted on Shorpy today - taken in 1912. Says the unidentified, factory building is in Detroit and built by the A.J. Smith Construction Co.

Some clues:
At the intersection of several street car tracks
Distinctive ironwork and tiles around the front entrance
Horse have not yet replaced cars

http://www.shorpy.com/node/14033

Anybody??

**canuck** · November-10-12, 09:01 AM

I remember seing this picture before, I think. I also think there was talk about it on another thread. Anybody know?

**gnome** · November-10-12, 09:47 AM

I did a google books search and found an address for Maynard Smith at 40 Glynn Ct residence and 18-20 Campau Building. Glynn is one block north of Boston Blvd, but I have no idea where the Campau building was/is.

from looking at .the pic, it appears there is a gasometer behind the subject building on the right.

**gnome** · November-10-12, 10:06 AM

If that is a gasometer would that mean the location is near the river? Weren't all those gasometers close to the water so ships could offload coal?

**Lowell** · November-10-12, 10:22 AM

I notice they built the Stuber-Stone building in the Cass Corridor [Cass just north of Willis] that has some resemblance to their building. Source

Side note: I am always fascinated by durable designs. In this case it is the round top mailbox on the far right of the picture. It could be today. Whoever designed that needs some sort of an award - like the person who designed lace up shoes.

**Packman41** · November-10-12, 10:28 AM

May have answered some of my own questions.

From other sources this appears to be THE A.J. Smith Building. Maynard D. Smith was the president [[A.J. was his father) and constructed the J.L. Hudson Building and Hudson Motor Car Companies. Additionally, he was president of the Fort Shelby Hotel and on the boards of many other prominent Detroit businesses. Maynard D. was also the leading proponent of constructing the Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron.

Now as for exact location. It appears that Maynard D. moved from Port Huron to Detroit in 1909 where he formed the Andrew J. Smith Construction Co. However, the best address I have so far for the company is the 18 Campau Building. That building was constructed in 1883 at the southwest corner of Griswold and Larned and was considered one of the finest buildings in Detroit at that time. But, they moved from that building to this new location and I cannot find the exact address or intersection.

**Lowell** · November-10-12, 10:38 AM

Addendum: I find a lawsuit where they sued Marine City in 1934 but they do not appear in my 1940 City Guide and my 1929 is at the office.

What is amazing is how may people are trying to resell that image. It goes on and on some 30 pages deep in Google.

**Packman41** · November-10-12, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Addendum: I find a lawsuit where they sued Marine City in 1934 but they do not appear in my 1940 City Guide and my 1929 is at the office.

Yes, and they were sued in this sad case of a 16 year old, water boy that fell to his death during the construction of the Fort Shelby Hotel in 1917. The boy was working for $2 per day – for a 10 hour shift.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Tb-...page&q&f=false

But, still no address.

**p69rrh51** · November-10-12, 11:35 AM

Originally Posted by Packman41

This photo was posted on Shorpy today - taken in 1912. Says the unidentified, factory building is in Detroit and built by the A.J. Smith Construction Co.

Some clues:
At the intersection of several street car tracks
Distinctive ironwork and tiles around the front entrance
Horse have not yet replaced cars

http://www.shorpy.com/node/14033

Anybody??

Actually it was a building for the Arthur Colton Company designed by a lesser known Detroit architectural firm of Mildner & Eisen. If I remember correctly the building was located at Chene and E. Jefferson or close by. The images are from a 1916 issue of the Western Architect.

**Kathleen** · November-10-12, 11:44 AM

Interesting backstory in Detroit's pharmaceutical industry!!!

Arthur Colton Company made the C1 machine to manufacture capsules.

Located at 2618 E. Jefferson, according to Machinery, Volume 28 [[1921-1922) found on Google Books.

**Lowell** · November-10-12, 11:50 AM

Good research as always p69rrh51 . From 1940 city guide... [3400 E. Lafayette is the current site of MLKing HS.]

**gnome** · November-10-12, 12:04 PM

Hmm, a 1911 issue of Popular Mechanics has an advertisement for Arthur Colton company at 182 Brush st.

A 1920 ad in Practical Druggist and Pharmaceutical Review shows the location as 784 e Jefferson.

ad for a capsule filler:
http://books.google.com/books?id=783...page&q&f=false

**Lowell** · November-10-12, 12:26 PM

Correction. It 3400 E. Lafayette is Soave Enterprises. I am guessing that it may still be there, just made over with new facade. But in the Shorpy picture, the plant is clearly on a corner, so can it be this site? I don't think there was a DSR line coming out of Elmwood.

Google Street View

1940 DTE Aerial

**p69rrh51** · November-10-12, 01:39 PM

Originally Posted by Lowell

Good research as always p69rrh51 . From 1940 city guide... [3400 E. Lafayette is the current site of MLKing HS.]

THX Lowell! I just happened to be looking for the location of the building last week.

**p69rrh51** · November-10-12, 05:16 PM

Found the same image from a 1917 issue of The American Architect.

**MikeM** · November-11-12, 12:59 AM

Gnome's and Kathleen's pre- and post-conversion addresses both translate to the corner of Chene, which is what p69 has. The gas holder in the background was at the corner of Chene and Franklin, built in 1868 to serve the east side of the city. The view is from Jefferson, with Chene on the right, sloping down toward the river.

**Ray1936** · November-11-12, 12:44 PM

Mike, if you're right in that location, the building was razed at least by 1960. Immediately to the left of the building would have been built the City of Detroit garage [[called the M. O. Garage, for municipally owned) that was largely used by the Police Department, and was the home to the Motorcycle Traffic Bureau for many years. I'm very familiar with that intersection. The MO Garage was at 2650 E. Jefferson. The building in question is now the site of a gas station.
I was also very .... ahem ..... familiar with an old bar on the corner of Chene and Franklin, which was a leftover from pre-prohibition days. The place reeked of local history......sigh......good cold beer, too.......

**nat** · December-07-12, 11:26 AM

A little follow up here. I showed this photo to my uncle who worked at Jefferson Chevrolet [[Trader Ray) for about 50 years beginning in the late 50s. He indicated that he thought that they [[Jefferson Chevy) had bought that building and with it the entire stretch of dirt from Jefferson to the river along Chene. I asked him to get more details for me. If he follows through, I will post them here. Could be he is referring to another property but I will hopefully find out.