Demo at Hubbell and Grand River

[buildingsofdetroit]

Maybe this was discussed before and I missed it, but they're almost done tearing down a GORGEOUS building that stood at Hubbell and Grand River. Anyone know why? Did it burn or something? Looked to be in great shape from this Google driveby: http://tinyurl.com/nt2hew

[Patrick]

The Tudor building or the Arkansas Tire building?

[Hamtragedy]

I was afraid of the picture you posted, and sure enough.... The slate roof was pretty much intact until the Great Copper Heists of 2008, when someone tried to tear off the copper hips and the totally fucked up the slate roof. It was a church [[or two) for the last ten years and after the destruction on the roof it spelled disaster for the church and the building itself.

Damn shame

[Bearinabox]

Maybe this was discussed before and I missed it, but they're almost done tearing down a GORGEOUS building that stood at Hubbell and Grand River. Anyone know why? Did it burn or something? Looked to be in great shape from this Google driveby: http://tinyurl.com/nt2hew

I remember it being in worse shape than that. The Google image is probably about two years old.

[Linda from Detroit]

Oh gosh, I used to walk past that building almost every day. It used to be a very nice church when I was growing up. Just the other side of it was my moms favorite dress shop and there was a coin and stamp collectors store just up the street too. I had often wondered what happened to that building. It was so nicely landscaped and cared for way back then.

[buildingsofdetroit]

Oh gosh, I used to walk past that building almost every day. It used to be a very nice church when I was growing up. Just the other side of it was my moms favorite dress shop and there was a coin and stamp collectors store just up the street too. I had often wondered what happened to that building. It was so nicely landscaped and cared for way back then.

Well, it's completely leveled now. The only thing left is a foundation for a staircase on the Hubbell side. At least that department store at Greenfield and Grand River still stands.

[Danny]

The tudor building on the corner of Grand River Ave. and Hubbell St. used to be several office centers or possible ballroom with retail mom and pop stores in the first floor. The it became a church called Pentacostal House of God. Then the building was owned by church next to it until it was looted constantly. The Church couldn't keep up with the maintenance so it was demolished.

[Linda from Detroit]

When I lived there it was a Lutheran church. On the corner of Strathmoor and GR was a Cunninghams on one side and Great Lakes bakery on the other.

[Hamtragedy]

And the Great Lakes Theater two blocks nw, which was levelled three or four years ago.

[Motown]

Old YMCA if I recall correctly.

[bdglsmn]

I drive by that corner 2-3 times per week. That building was beautiful even in its neglected state. To be honest it looked like it could be refurbished and put to good use but I guess its too late for that.

[SMRJim]

Well, it's completely leveled now. The only thing left is a foundation for a staircase on the Hubbell side. At least that department store at Greenfield and Grand River still stands.

That's exacty what I was thinking about - the old Montgomery Wards store. You can tell it's the same structure, but that whole stretch of Grand River sure looks different these days. I was driving through that neighborhood just east of Wards a few weeks ago, near Burns elementary school [[played baseball on their ball diamond a few times when I was a kid) and couldn't believe all the abandoned and burned out houses back in there.

[Meddle]

That's exacty what I was thinking about - the old Montgomery Wards store. You can tell it's the same structure,

Is Federal's still there? There was a jewelry store on one corner, Meyer's? I don't remember the 4th corner.

[detroitbob]

The building was the original parish building for St. Paul's Memorial Episcopal church [[not to be confused with the Cathedral on Woodward) and housed parish offices and meeting facilities and a temporary church. The Episcopalians build a number of these buildings in the 1920's that included retail on the street level to provide income for the new parishes that were being planted throughout the area. I don't remember the date the parish closed, but I believe it was late '80's

[Hamtragedy]

Federals still there. Cunningham, Wards and Kresge too. Meyers jewelry accross on SW corner long gone. Waited on that corner for the bus growin up.

[shovelhead]

IIRC, about 1969 to sometime in the early 70's a National Cash Register dealer was in the building.
Wasn't there a National Bank Of Detroit branch on the northeast side of that intersection also? Maybe one or two doors east of Hubbell? Oh yeah, a Standard gas station on the northwest corner of Grand River and Marlowe? And across the south side of Grand River was Marlowe Cleaners. A black, high gloss front, with art-deco style lettering on the front that appeared to be silver, maybe aluminum. That building has long since ben torn down too.

[daddeeo]

The old neighborhood aint what she used to be.

[Linda from Detroit]

My very first job when I was 16 was at the JC Pennys at GR/Greenfield. The whole time I was growing up my mom and I always took a walk after dinner..often to the Sanders at Greenfield and we'd split a sundae. That was such a great area to live in. Pity so many business took off.

[Linda from Detroit]

IIRC, about 1969 to sometime in the early 70's a National Cash Register dealer was in the building.
Wasn't there a National Bank Of Detroit branch on the northeast side of that intersection also? Maybe one or two doors east of Hubbell? Oh yeah, a Standard gas station on the northwest corner of Grand River and Marlowe? And across the south side of Grand River was Marlowe Cleaners. A black, high gloss front, with art-deco style lettering on the front that appeared to be silver, maybe aluminum. That building has long since ben torn down too.

There was a National Bank of Detroit at the corner of GR and Mark Twain.

[daddeeo]

The Grand River and Greenfield area was a small city in itself. There was just about everything within a four block area. Wrigleys supermarket just down on Greenfield. A bank, church, Penny's, Kresges, Woolworths, Monkey Wards, Federals , Big Boys, Sanders, Meyers, Hughes and Hatcher, Crowleys etc.

[Russix]

The house behind it on Marlowe St. with the monster black satellite dish is also a ruin. I past this while going eastbound on Grand River by bicyle on Friday night. I knew they had demolished something but I thought I was down by Mark Twain.

[brougham]

The Grand River and Greenfield area was a small city in itself. There was just about everything within a four block area. Wrigleys supermarket just down on Greenfield. A bank, church, Penny's, Kresges, Woolworths, Monkey Wards, Federals , Big Boys, Sanders, Meyers, Hughes and Hatcher, Crowleys etc.

All good stuff, Cunninghams was on the North West corner, the church was Holy Cross Lutheran, Duffy's bar on south side of Grand River at Montrose I believe..

[brougham]

I think there were a lot of teen dances at the St Pauls building in the early to mid sixties. I was too young but my older brothers and sisters went to some. A lot of "Louie-Louie" being sung I'm sure !

[daddeeo]

They had a limbo contest at Federals with Chubby Checker and Poopdeck Paul from Channel 9 CKLW in the early 60's.

[mauser]

WOW

Thanks for the heads up on this one, BuildingsofDetroit.

Heres photos from about two weeks ago, prior to demolition:

http://detroitfunk.com/?p=2125