12900 Mack Avenue
Cadillac Wall Paper Company
This structure is on the city’s teardown list.
I haven’t pinpointed a construction date; however, I assume it was completed in the 1920s. By 1931, it was home to the Cadillac Wall Paper Company. This was one of two branches, the other existing on Grand River Avenue.
The company was founded in 1911 and had a storefront in Cadillac Square that they had purchased from the Gregg Hardware Company. In 1915, they left that and leased space at 531 Randolph, a large warehouse that no longer exists.
In 1931, the main offices on Randolph had a devastating fire. For the time being, the business operations were moved from downtown into the two branch offices, 12900 Mack Avenue, pictured here, and 9605 Grand River Avenue, a non-descript structure that still stands today.
Later that year, the company was part of an initiative to get unemployed men working again. At this point, the Depression was in full swing. According to the Detroit Free Press, “skilled unemployed men will start Thursday to paint and renovate toys for Christmas gifts to children of indigent families” at both Cadillac Wall Paper Company locations. Folks with used or broken toys could donate them at either location or take them to 531 Randolph, which had been repaired.
In addition to dealing in fancy and washable wallpapers, the company sold paints and other interior design products. Eventually, it had another location at 3131 West McNichols. The company existed until at least the late 1950s. However, I’m not certain what happened to the property after that.
The earliest days of Google Street View depict a sign that may have read ‘Community Club;’ however, it’s hard to decipher. Originally the roof had terracotta tiles. By 2010, it had started to fail. The storefronts were blown out, the upper windows were broken, and the structure was tattered from head to toe. The large metal sign on the corner came crashing down around 2010.
In 2011, the structure was sold to an LLC listed online as ‘Delicious Company.’ The roof was replaced, the storefronts were cleaned, and the structure stabilized. It doesn’t appear that any interior work has been completed. Still, compared to what it looked like a few years ago and other buildings nearby, there isn’t much to complain about regarding the current condition of 12900 Mack Avenue.
However, allegedly, the city wants to tear it down.
I’d much rather see a somewhat tattered but secure structure like this than a vacant lot.
I leaned against it a few years ago while watching the retirement home kitty-corner burn. It was a windy evening, so firefighters were worried embers from the blaze would fly over to nearby buildings and cause damage. I don’t believe they reached this structure, but the old service station across the street might have had an issue. More on that later, though!
