18530-18532 Van Dyke Avenue
Stanley’s Beer Store, Polka Party Store
18530-18532 Van Dyke was built in the 1920s. I haven’t been able to determine the original use, but by the 1950s, it was a corner store called Stanley’s Beer Store. In 1964, the shop was given a 7-day suspension of its liquor license for selling to minors.
By the 1970s, it was called the Polka Party Store. In 1975, two men performed an armed robbery of the establishment. One of the men had a gun and pointed it at the owner, Norbert Fortuna, and an employee. After taking the money, the bandits forced the defenseless workers into the walk-in cooler and departed on foot.
Fortuna, 28, ran from the cooler, grabbed a gun, and chased the men down the sidewalk, shooting them both. Leonard Monroe died from his injuries, and Wayne Ward was in critical condition in the hospital. He was arrested there for committing an armed robbery.
I’m not sure when the corner store ceased to exist, but you can see the remnants of a hand-painted sign on the structure’s south side that reads ‘Party Store.’
The structure’s second floor is an apartment and always has been—from its completion to the day Leonard Monroe was murdered to the present day. Advertisements from the early 2000s list it as a two-bedroom, decorated apartment. In 2004, it was listed for $500 a month. By 2005, the price had been reduced to $400 a month. The back door to the apartment was cracked open when I shot these photographs—indicating it’s likely been scrapped or being lived in.
The facade of this structure has always intrigued me. I’m curious about when it was painted, why the architect opted for these specific ornate details, and what will become of it in the coming years. It’s one of the most unique structures on this section of Van Dyke Avenue, and that’s saying something.
