Grinnell Brothers Music House

[papillonaquatique]

http://buildingsofdetroit.com/places/grinnell


Great building in a great location. On Google Maps I can see the for lease sign but I can't make out a number. Even if I could that image might be old and out of date. I also can't locate the current owner of this building.

This building would be perfect for a bakery from what I can tell. I would love to get more information on it. If anyone can point me in the right direction I would be most appreciative. Thank you.

[beachboy]

Wow! Memories...used to play Hammond organs there as a kid when Mom & Dad when shopping...great pitch by the salesman "even a child can play a Hammond." And they let me play all afternoon...so sad to see Grinnell's gone - we left in 1975...they were alive.

Still have the Hammond A-100 [[play it most every day) Dad bought from Grinnell's in Port Huron [[1964, salesman Mr. Bowman was quite the organist). With very little maintenance, it still sounds beautiful - like a B3 with self-contained amps and speakers
[A-100 pic from Google images]

[papillonaquatique]

I took a look at Google Images and I saw some truly beautiful instruments. Apparently the Fox Theater has or at one point had an organ that was from this company. I wonder what that looks like?

[kryptonite]

I took a look at Google Images and I saw some truly beautiful instruments. Apparently the Fox Theater has or at one point had an organ that was from this company. I wonder what that looks like?

this is a tour of the organ works, and a view of the keyboards, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0nxYQ9nztI

there are more videos of the organ being played at the Fox on Youtube.

[56packman]

Correction: Grinnells [[Grinnell Bros.) sold Hammond electronic organs, which began production in 1935, Grinnells undoubtedly were among the first to handle the Hammond line. The pipe organs is the Fox Theatre were produced in 1928 9before electronic organs were invented) by the Rudolph Wurlitzer company of North Tonawanda, NY [[the auditorium organ) and that would have been sold out of New York, where William Fox/Eve were centered. There was a Wurlitzer store in Detroit [[in the Wurlitzer building!) and they sold pipe organs from that location until the factory ceased production in 1943. The lobby organ in the Fox was built by the M.P. Moller company of Hagerstown,MD, and like the auditorium instrument was most likey a direct sale.
Grinnell's was a powerhouse in the music retail business, selling pianos [[they had the Steinway franchise for Michigan) as well as manufacturing their own pianos, which were usually huge, heavy uprights, powerful instruments. They sold sheet music, records, and at one point, band instruments. They expanded into the suburbs with mall stores and stand-alone stores. They met their demise in the early 80s after decades in the business. Grinnells must have sold a blue million Hammonds, such was their prominence in the reigon.

[Hermod]

Grinnell's also offered music lessons. They had little sound-proofed rooms for the one-on-one lessons. In the early fifties, I took guitar lessons at the Grinnell store in the little shopping center on Houston between Kelly and Hayes.

[drjeff]

I remember the Grinnell Bros. store in Westwood mall in Jackson, where I grew up in the 1970s. I loved going in there.

[RickBeall]

My wife took part in one of the recitals of 1,000 students at Cobo Hall. I have the picture to prove it. It's just that ... I can't exactly find her it it. But she's there!!!!

[EastsideAl]

I used to go to Grinnell's all the time when I was a kid to buy reeds for my clarinet. My Dad bought a lot of classical records there, and I bought my very first 45 there in the late '60s. I remember walking around perusing all of the shiny expensive-looking instruments, and being fascinated by the organ demonstrating guy. That space was pretty huge though, not sure how it would work as something like a bakery.

[papillonaquatique]

I am quite impressed with all of the information that the posters here provide. It seems like alot of people have fond memories of this building.

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/13844...ue-Detroit-MI/

Apparently this building is available to rent as a whole or as space for a restaurant. At least it is being cared for and appears to be in decent shape from what I can infer.

[EMG]

Grinnell's also offered music lessons. They had little sound-proofed rooms for the one-on-one lessons. In the early fifties, I took guitar lessons at the Grinnell store in the little shopping center on Houston between Kelly and Hayes.

Yes, and as stated in another post, I too took piano lessons at that Civic shopping center store - probably in one of those same little sound proofed rooms - albeit in the mid-70's.