12301 Gratiot Avenue
Engel Bros. Furniture, Baer Furniture Company, Universal Magnavox Home Entertainment Center, Universal Scientific Industrial Supply
Many of my favorite photographs are a direct result of wandering around without a planned destination. From a productivity standpoint, it's extraordinarily impractical, but I thoroughly enjoy flying by the seat of my pants.
Although I had been meaning to document this building for ages, I had no plans to do so on the day I shot these photos. It had been overcast and rainy most of the week, but the clouds had dispersed as I wandered up Gratiot. After shooting photos for roughly a half hour, I was content and continued on my way.
While editing the photos, I was blown away by the extreme attention to detail on the facade. It’s such a stunning structure—even considering numerous pieces had fallen onto the sidewalk below. I don’t know why, but while mulling over the images and straightening their lines, I had a feeling that a particular slumlord owned this building. It turns out my hunch was correct, but we’ll get to that later on.
Engel Bros. started its furniture business around 1897. The first mention of a location I’ve been able to find is at 245 Gratiot (now 683 Gratiot), which would have been taken out by the construction of 375 if it still stood at that time. Their location at 12301 Gratiot, pictured here, was designed by Pollmar & Ropes and completed in 1926 with a formal opening. At one time, it had a sizeable theatre-like marquee just to the right of the ornate section above the door.
Engel Bros. Furniture would eventually open another location at 14625 Kercheval, now the Turnaround Bar parking lot. In the early 1940s, Engel Bros. either left the location or was sold, and Baer Furniture Company took its place. An obituary for Erie M. Bird from 1977 makes me believe that the two businesses were related. Bird retired from the furniture industry after 35 years of service, having worked for both Engel Bros. and Baer Furniture. I suppose Bird could have lived in the neighborhood and gotten hired by the second company after the first left—regardless, his existence ties the two together.
Baer Furniture used the space until at least 1955, but Union Appliance had moved in by 1958. I’m not sure how long that company lasted, but a Universal Magnavox Home Entertainment Center (HEC) had opened at the location by 1964. In addition to selling the latest and greatest Magnavox products, the shop sold other appliances and home goods. They would remain open through at least the late 70s. At some point after that, Universal Scientific Industrial Supply moved in and stored chemicals inside. By the late 90s, it was vacant.
In June 2003, a homeless woman found herself inside the structure and discovered hundreds of containers of chemicals, most likely left over from the Universal operation. She notified city officials, and the EPA swarmed the property like a hawk that caught a glimpse of a field mouse. Upon investigation, picric acid was found inside. I’m not a chemist, but the internet tells me that the substance is hazardous and was used to make bombs and other explosives during the World Wars. It seems that the conditions need to be perfect for the substance to be dangerous, but considering the dozens of different chemicals inside the building, the scene was deemed unsafe.
The Detroit Free Press reported that city officials evacuated a two-block radius, closed a portion of Gratiot Avenue, and the Detroit Police Hazmat Team removed hundreds more containers of other chemicals. I’m unsure whether more picric acid was found, but the site is still listed in the EPA archives as the ‘Universal Laboratory Site.’ The Detroit Free Press article also reported that the building contained asbestos and was structurally unsafe.
In 2005, the property was listed for sale in the Free Press for $125,000. A year later, the price had dropped to $99,000. In 2011, it was for sale again, with a ‘reduced’ price.
An LLC called ‘12301 Gratiot’ was formed in January 2014 by Jason Oram and dissolved in March 2019. I assume this LLC purchased the property, owned it, and sold it to the current owner. Again, we’ll get into that.
Around 2013/14, a resale shop and outdoor grill/coffee stand were operating outside the structure and may have used the main floor for storage. I haven’t found any information about this online, but I saw a photo proving its existence. It was run by Calvary Outreach Detroit and Peacemakers International (which is based on Chene Street). In the picture, there’s a sign that says Calvary met at the building on Sundays at noon and Tuesdays at 6 PM for worship, bible study, and free meals. I haven’t found any other documentation for this.
Finally, we’ve made it to the part of the story where I talk about my favorite slumlord. In 2016, the building was sold for $25,000 to Metro Building Group. Any guesses as to who owns that LLC? Here’s a hint—their address is 1600 Clay Street. Still unsure? That address is the Russel Industrial Center. Okay—the jig is up. Dennis Kefallinos owns this building.
To quote another piece I wrote recently, “Kefallinos owns an extensive portfolio of properties in Detroit—most of which I would call, to play nicely, underutilized.”
A large commercial billboard was on top of the building until around 2018/19. Given its departure, I assume the building was not kept up to code or the roof is starting to give. There appears to have been some work done to access the roof recently—but nothing in terms of stability.
In November 2012, the Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department (BSEED) submitted a demolition order for the structure. This didn’t happen, and an October 16, 2019 inspection revealed that the building is ‘secured and appears to be sound and repairable…This is the 1st deferral request for this property.’ This gave Kefallinos six months to make progress on the stabilization of the building, or the deferral would be rescinded.
An inspection on March 9, 2021, revealed that the required progress had yet to be made, and BSEED recommended that the deferral be rescinded. I haven’t been able to find any information after that point. I’m unsure whether Kefallinos got an extension, it’s slated for demolition, or if the property is still in limbo.
For what might be the first time, I’m somewhat on Kefallinos’ side in this fight. I abhor his treatment of the historic structures he’s used his money to purchase and let rot, but this building does not need to be demolished. It’s an extraordinarily handsome structure and, even with its dicey past, could, and should, be saved if there’s a use for it in the community.
Kefallinos and other ‘developers’ are perfectly happy to sit on historically significant properties until they’re in such bad shape that they need demolishing. This process isn’t sustainable, and, as this continues to occur in Detroit, we need to change how we deal with property owners in the city.
Demolition by neglect is the saddest way to see a property go. It’s slow, and then it happens all at once. Hopefully, Kefallinos secures this one or hands it off to someone who can before it’s too late.
