1401 East Milwaukee Avenue
Art Stove Company Office Building, Frank L. Bromley Properties, Midwest Engineering, Magnaflux Corporation
Decades before the city became known worldwide as the Motor City thanks to Henry Ford’s adaptation of the assembly line, Detroit was the largest stove manufacturer globally. There were a handful of companies, most of which eventually merged and sold to other companies before going belly up or being converted to make other things.
The Art Stove Company was incorporated on February 9, 1888, by a group of seven men with $50,000 in capital stock. An article in 1900 says it was organized in 1887 with $200,000 in capital stock, but I believe that to be a misprint.
By October 1894, the Art Stove Company had opened a salesroom on Woodward in Downtown Detroit, and business was booming. Two years later, the company sent fourteen stoves to Ontonagon, Michigan, after a fire wiped out the entire lumbering town.
In 1900, there were changes in the company’s management, and plans were laid to expand the factory. The complex ran from Russell to Hastings, encompassing some 1,000 feet of railroad frontage. It must have been quite the sight in its day.
In 1906, the company purchased a parcel of land at the corner of Milwaukee and Russell, pictured here, for $5,000. They planned to build new office buildings there, as it was adjacent to their swelling manufacturing plant.
In 1907, work began. The structure was designed by George Hunt Ingraham, a young architect from Boston, and built by John Finn. The main floor was to have offices for the company. The second floor had a lecture room for annual meetings and stove construction demonstrations, with extra space for sample stoves and a dining room for company functions. The total cost was to be $40,000.
In 1923 the Detroit Stove Works purchased the Art Stove Company. In the deal, they were set to receive the business, trade names, patents, and the company’s good will. However, the Art Stove Company retained ownership of its factory and land holdings.
They didn’t hold onto their land long, though. The office building pictured here and the factory across the street were sold to Frank L. Bromley in 1925.
Mr. Bromley was born around 1866 and was admitted to the Union School in 1881. He eventually started Frank L. Bromley Properties Incorporated, an industrial real estate company. It moved into 1401 East Milwaukee Avenue in 1925 and stayed there for at least a quarter century.
Mr. Bromley retired from the company in 1949 and handed it down to his son Walter T. Bromley Sr. Five years after his retirement, Mr. Bromley died. It isn’t clear when the Bromley company left the structure, but I’d imagine it was around the time of his retirement or not long after.
The factory across the street was demolished to make way for I-75 when it was constructed. I’m unsure if it was used at the time.
Even before the Bromleys left, the office structure was parted out and rented to various companies. In the late 1930s, Midwest Engineering’s tool and die shop utilized some of the space. In the 1950s, Magnaflux Corporation was renting square footage.
I don’t think any business took the reins as the Bromleys had, but the structure was utilized until at least the early 1990s. However, since then, it’s begun to fall harshly into disrepair. Every decade or so, it seems like someone is trying to sell the building for an astronomical price. With each passing decade, the roof deteriorates further, and the freeze-and-thaw cycle does its best to destroy any crevice it can find.
On this visit, the door to the back was wide open. I could see a few large holes in the roof and flooring. This structure is undoubtedly savable, but considering it’s been foreclosed upon recently and how demo-happy the current city administration is, this one might not last much longer. However, this area isn’t far from a blossoming Milwaukee Junction neighborhood, so there’s hope for it.
I just hope the city gives it a chance.
The address is also listed as 6500 Russell Street.
