Building identification

[Planner3357]

I drive by this building on my way to and from my parents in Plymouth once in a while.

Its visible from the Jeffries fwy. Located at Scotten and Grand River.
Or Scotten and I-96 Srvc Drive to be more precise.

Seems to have huge bay doors on the alley side. Just curious if anyone knows what it is/was used for or any history on it.


4055 Scotten St., Detroit
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=4055+s...48204&t=h&z=16

[Toolbox]

Telephone switch station.

[Jman]

When I lived in the apartment building across the street I believe it was a telephone exchange building.

Apparently Toolbox types faster than I do.

[MikeM]

It's Detroit Edison's Grand River substation. Four 24kV transformers.

[MikeM]

As it looked in 1975:

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/imag...tart=;resnum=1

[Planner3357]

Totally cool looking building. Thanks for the input. Are there offices in it? Or just transformers?

[MikeM]

Probably just transformers and ancillary equipment now. I'm sure there were offices in it at one time when voltage regulating equipment wasn't as automated as it is today.

[drjeff]

As it looked in 1975:

http://dlxs.lib.wayne.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?q1=substation;rgn1=vmc_all;op2=And;rgn2=vmc_al l;c=vmc;g=photojournalism;med=1;back=back130098789 9;chaperone=S-VMC-X-14081%2014081;evl=full-image;chaperone=S-VMC-X-14081 14081;quality=1;view=entry;subview=detail;cc=vmc;e ntryid=x-14081;viewid=14081;start=;resnum=1

Groovy, man!

[MikeM]

Here's a similar but larger substaion of the same vintage, torn down to make way for the Chrysler Jefferson expansion:

http://loc.gov/pictures/item/mi0195/

[Sherrybaby_60]

I too drive by this building every time we go to the casino [[from Livonia). I made my husband get off the freeway the other day to see if the building had any advertisement or told what it was, heck I couldn't even find an address! But I wanted to thank people for responding as to what it was, cause my curiosity was peaked too! Love this forum btw.

[MikeM]

The address is hard to see, but it's on the Grand River side [[from Google street view):




Grand River Substation
7361 Grand River Ave

[Hamtragedy]

They painted the rest of the brick about 10 years ago, and now it's starting to peel..............

[detroitbob]

They did a shitty job painting after a tuckpointing and reset of a lot of terra cotta over 10 years ago. The original terra cotta was a mottled cream buff with darker tan brick.