11731 Livernois Avenue
Grocery Store, Meat Market, Resale Shop, Jerry’s Pizza and Barbecue
This structure is the perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. Typically, that phrase is meant to be a positive one. In this case, it isn’t. But we’ll get to that later.
I believe this building was constructed in the late 1920s or early 1930s. By 1944, there was a meat market operating out of the structure. They were hiring meat cutters and men to run the counters fairly frequently.
An obituary from 1966 indicates that Harry Schuman ran the butcher operation. In addition to dealing with meats, Schuman’s shop had a full line of groceries. I’m not certain when it closed or was sold, but I assume it was well before Schuman’s death.
By 1967, a second-hand clothing and resale store had moved into the space. It was for sale by that point, so it may have lasted only a bit longer than that. According to the advert, the shop was well equipped.
That same year, Blaz & Pukoff, Inc. was incorporated next door by Jacob Blaz and Harold Pukoff. It was a takeout joint specializing in pizza and barbeque. A year later, the corporation’s name was changed to Jerry’s Pizza & Barbecue, which it still holds today.
In 2006, Jerry’s Pizza & Barbecue purchased 11731 Livernois Avenue for $2,400. The facade was painted yellow, black, red, and white with a giant arrow and lettering that read ‘Jerry’s Pizza’ and had a list of the foods the joint next door offered. It isn’t clear whether the takeout operation planned to do anything with the structure or if they just wanted to use it as a billboard. However, when they purchased it, the building was already boarded up.
From the exterior, this structure appears to be in stellar shape. The bricks are intact, the portions of the roof visible from the street are tattered but in place, and the backside isn’t in terrible shape. However, after peeking through a tiny hole in the side of the structure, the interior’s condition revealed itself.
The entire inside has collapsed on itself, and the roof is gone. I was shocked to discover this because the rest of the exterior was in such good shape. I did my best to shoot a photograph through the hole, but it can’t possibly do it justice. I’ve stumbled upon some buildings with similar conditions on the interior before, but never one that appeared so sturdy from the exterior.
According to online records, the structure has been foreclosed, so Jerry’s Pizza & Barbecue won’t own it for much longer, if they do at all. Their sign has been gone for roughly a decade—covered with tan paint.
It’s a bummer that this handsome structure probably won’t be standing much longer. I can’t help but wonder what happened to it—was there a fire? Did strong winds damage the roof, and nobody was ever able to fix the damage? Or was it neglected long enough for the roof to fall in? Is this why Jerry’s Pizza and Barbecue could purchase it so cheaply?
The more questions I ask, the more I’m reminded of how many structures Detroit has lost without a passing glance. I probably wouldn’t have wandered over to this building if I hadn’t photographed the apartments and storefronts across the street. I wouldn’t have seen the small hole in the side if I hadn’t walked over. This post might not have happened had I not found the portal to the interior. The dominoes go as far as the eye can see. I enjoy discovering buildings like this, but I can’t help but feel bummed out when I document structures that are destined for demolition.
Ahh. I’m unsure what else to say about this one—just a bummer.
