Anyone Ever Hear of the Bowles Building?

**gnome** · October-06-10, 06:17 AM

According to the description it stood at the northeast corner of Grand River and Griswold, overlooking Capitol Park.

Now, of course, it is just a nice parking lot for a boobie bar, but at one time it looked quite nice.

Just wondering if anyone knows anything about it?

**EastsideAl** · October-06-10, 12:18 PM

Originally built as the YMCA in 1879. Reconstructed as an office building some time after the Y moved out around 1909.

**Russix** · October-06-10, 01:06 PM

There was something else on that lot until atleast a decade ago. Google maps even shows a building there.

**gumby** · October-06-10, 02:23 PM

I love how the Eliott Building is visible in both pics.

**Detroit Stylin** · October-06-10, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by gumby

I love how the Eliott Building is visible in both pics.

It used to be a shoe store called Rennaissance Shoes. It was demoed sometime in 2003....

**gumby** · October-06-10, 04:42 PM

Originally Posted by Detroit Stylin

It used to be a shoe store called Rennaissance Shoes. It was demoed sometime in 2003....

No the Elliott Building is still standing. I was the former "House of Nine". Northwest corner of Woodward and Grand River.

http://www.internationalmetropolis.c.../11//1109c.jpg

**Whitehouse** · October-06-10, 07:07 PM

Here's the corner now. Indeed, in the Google maps aereal shot there is still some building occupying the spot.

And this is the corner as it appears now.

\

Directly opposite is the Griswold parking garage, also a structure that was deemed to take more revenue than a hotel. There seems to be an historical marker there. Birth of Kiwanis/Griswold Hotel Informational Site, P25,152 January 24, 1964 — Griswold Street at Grand River in downtown Detroit; HM January 8, 1965

This is the former site of the Griswold Hotel.

This corner was discussed in 2007.\

During my search for information I stumbled upon an amazing collection of photographs! These were shot b David Jordano. Check out the "projects". The last two projects deal with Detroit. Especially the last series of photographs is stunning! It's a before and after series with a gap of 37 years. Check out what has been lost. Virtually every picture shows the decline of Detroit, with the exception of one due of pictures, the house with the round porch seems to have faired better in time.
Here's the link.

[[I hear the distinct echo somewhere that says: "Great find, Whitehouse!"

)

EastSider · October-06-10, 08:42 PM

To solve the mystery of what was next to the "booby bar," we first have to remember the name of said bar before "Eros Lounge." The missing building was demolished by the strip bar's owner, with the idea that he was going to expand his Carnal Palace.

Unfortunately for him, the city blocked his plans. If I remember right, Mahaffey was still fighting the good fight this side of the pearly gates at the time. He filled in the hole left by the razed Mystery Building and made a parking lot.

This happened before the Statler came down, but I think after the Madison-Lenox demo.

**Whitehouse** · October-06-10, 10:27 PM

Wow! They really made the best of it. Look at this older picture. That small building of pleasure is looking quite snappy compared to what it was.

Another corner of this intersection was duscussed Here.

**detroitbob** · October-07-10, 01:19 AM

I believe the building was reduced to 1 floor and recovered in modern materials. A Big Boy and a shoe shore occupied part of the structure. When the building was demolished the old stone foundations were still use and were not dug out, just filled it after the new, greater and grander titty, opps, adult entertainment facility which would feature and encourage the art pole dancing for our edification was deprived a building permit.

**gnome** · October-07-10, 01:47 AM

excellent work everyone. EastsideAl, I had no idea it originally was a Y. Eastside thanks for remembering the story about the strip bar owner trying to expand his boobie empire. I had forgotten all about that. I have only a vague memory of something being there, nothing on the scale of the original picture.

And Whitehouse, holy smokes, how does a guy in Gramsterdam come up with that stuff? wow

**EastsideAl** · October-07-10, 02:24 AM

Detroitbob is correct about what was in that space from the time I was a kid in the '60s and '70s until just a couple of years ago. It was a small, low, nondescript mixed-use retail building. The main tenant for many years was an L-shaped Big Boy restaurant that wrapped around from Grand River to Griswold. Along with the House of Nine dress shop and, if I remember correctly, the once-infamous Tina-Marie Shop [[aka Frederick's of Detroit), as well as some other small businesses. All of those places have been gone for the past couple of decades, and I'm not sure what, if anything, was in that building in recent years.

The building that houses the Eros was once the Mayfield Chop House, which was a big hangout of my grandmother and her co-workers at Hudson's for "fancy" Friday night after work drinks and dinner.

**gnome** · October-07-10, 02:53 AM

Sorry E-AL but I'm sure Grandma would be a bit shocked to see what's on the menu today.

I drawing a blank on the entire space. Just like I did on the Empire Building thread that Whitehouse started. For the life of me I can't remember what was there.

I wonder when they tore down the old Y for the one-story building.

**EastsideAl** · October-07-10, 02:53 AM

Also, I wonder if the Bowles Building had any connection with ill-fated Mayor Charles Bowles, who lost a recall election on one of Detroit's more tumultuous days.

**gnome** · October-07-10, 03:55 AM

I wonder about that myself, but Bowles was elected in 1929 and recalled in '30 , born in 1884 died in '57... it would mean that he wold have been only 24 or so when the Y became the Bowles. Not impossible, but unlikely.

**stromberg2** · October-07-10, 01:54 PM

Great finds, Whitehouse. I'm with Gnome, how do you find stuff that nobody else does?!

Stromberg2

**fryar** · October-07-10, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

Wow! They really made the best of it. Look at this older picture. That small building of pleasure is looking quite snappy compared to what it was.

Good grief! You couldn't drag me into that run down shack with 10 horses!

**Fury13** · October-07-10, 02:44 PM

The Eros is another Kefallinos enterprise, is it not?

**carptrash** · October-10-10, 01:13 PM

We [[Hawkins Ferry and I) have this Richardsonian Romanesque styled YMCA as being built in 1883, designed by one of Detroit's premier architectural firms, Mason and Rice, Mason being the fellow who designed, among things, the Detroit Masonic Temple. eek

**Gsgeorge** · October-10-10, 01:46 PM

Great thread. I love this corner and its transformations over time. Whitehouse did some great research but his aerial satellite shot is innacurate. Here is the actual shot of a 1-story building occupying the northeast corner. Anyone have any photos of this building.

This is from December 31, 2002, according to Google Earth, though I don't see any snow...

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