3309 West Hancock Street


Private home, True Worship House of God, New Trinity of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church

This building is on an island. It’s the only structure on the downtown side of Hancock between Tillman and 23rd Streets, and there’s just one other dwelling on the opposite side of Hancock. There are very few buildings left in this area, and given the current state of this home-turned-church, there will be one fewer soon.

I’m not sure when this home was built, but there was a lot of development in this area in the first ten years of the 20th century. Online records show it was completed in 1900, but I’m not certain that’s correct.

At some point, the home was converted into a church. It must have been a small parish because there’s room for 20 people inside at the most.

True Worship House of God was incorporated in 1957. Its registered office was at 3297 West Euclid, a home just off Dexter, not far from where I live. In 1988, the church moved to 3309 W. Hancock and changed its name to New Trinity of Galilee Missionary Baptist Church. The parish filed its last annual report in 2007 and was dissolved in 2010.

Although the church has been gone for 15 years, the sign still hangs on the front of the structure. It has faded, but the Sunday School and Sunday Service times are still legible. Reverend M. Arnold (Pastor) is in the bottom left corner, and Reverend L. Hairston (Founder) is in the bottom right corner.

Today, the building is in bad shape. However, looking through the mail slot or the broken window, it’s apparent that the interior is only in mild disarray. The pews, altar, and hymn list remain, but the drop ceiling is falling apart. The roof is in bad shape, and the floor in the back portion of the structure is starting to buckle.

According to online records, a business called Share Your Candy, operated by Alyse Parries of Hamilton Heights, New York City, owns the property. Parries also owns the vacant lot on the corner of Hancock and Tillman.

The property is on the cusp of Detroit’s Core City neighborhood, which has seen investment in recent years. It’s across I-96, which means it’s technically a part of Chadsey Condon.

If it were on the other side of the highway, or the highway didn’t exist, there’d be a better chance of seeing this structure revitalized. At this point, I think this one has a date with the wrecking ball.


Eric Hergenreder

A photographer, writer, and researcher based out of Detroit, Michigan.

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