2501 Russell Street
Dueweke Grocery Company, Peninsular State Bank, M&N Produce, Cherrin Brothers, Excel Provision, and Midwest Provisionary Products, Del Bene Produce, Jabs Gym, Beyond Juicery and Eatery, Detroit Vs. Everybody, J’adore Detroit’s The Loft event space, Brooklyn Outdoor Advertising Agency
The future of this building in Eastern Market currently hangs in the balance. Before we dive into what happened this weekend, let’s look at how we got to this point.
The current structure was built in 1908 for the Dueweke Grocery Company. The building was designed by B. C. Wetzel & Company. Although much different than today, Eastern Market was already a known commodity to most Detroiters, and it continued to expand in the decades after. When completed, the address of this structure was 391 Russell Street.
In September 1913, Felix Rohr, 72, was crossing Orleans Street between Wilkins and Watson when he was struck by a Dueweke Grocery Company truck operated by William Randolph. He didn’t stop, rushed back to the building pictured here, and was arrested. Rohr was crossing an alley, causing the driver’s view to be obstructed, so the death was ruled an accident, and Randolph was released.
By 1917, the Dueweke Grocery Company was calling it quits. The business sold the building pictured here to the Peninsular State Bank. The bank occupied the main floor as a branch office and planned to lease the upper floors. Henry P. McDonnell was the realtor, and the structure was valued somewhere between $65K and $75K at the time, or between roughly $1.7M and $1.9M in 2023.
By the summer of 1930, the Peninsular State Bank and Bank of Michigan had been consolidated into the Peoples Wayne County Bank. I’m not certain what happened to the structure directly after the merger.
In 1941, the building was available for rent. Three floors were available, all measuring 40 by 80 feet. The advert in the Detroit Free Press stated that the property was suited for storage or any kind of business. Basso Realty was in charge of leasing it.
Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, various companies rented space inside the structure, sometimes simultaneously. This was often the case in Detroit; buildings would be parceled out to smaller operations after larger companies left. The M&N Produce, Cherrin Brothers, Excel Provision, and Midwest Provisionary Products companies all called it home.
In 1989, Del Bene Produce was incorporated by Thomas and Anthony Del Bene. By 1995, their operation had moved to a location on Russell Street. The handwriting was so sloppy that it’s hard to read, but it may have been 2081 Russell. At some point, they occupied the structure pictured here, 2501 Russell, so that may have been a typo.
By 2007, the company had moved to 2900 Rivard Street, a more modern warehouse it still occupies.
In 2004, the City of Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority had a hearing to see whether the structure would receive Brownfield Tax Credits. There isn’t much information listed in the notice in the Detroit Free Press; however, it may have been for environmental remediation or general new investment tax incentives. I’m uncertain whether they were granted. 1350 Adelaide and 1351 Winder were also a part of the hearing.
Russell Street Investments was organized in 2007 by Scot Turnbull. According to a Crains Detroit article, he spent $525,000 on the structure in 2007 and put roughly $1,000,000 into renovating it after the 07/08 Great Recession. Work was completed by 2012. Turnbull’s company, Manufacturing Detroit, owns multiple buildings in Detroit, including others in Eastern Market.
On Saturday, September 16, 2023, a large portion of the southern brick facade collapsed onto the sidewalk below. A few people were injured, and cars below sustained damage. Nobody inside the structure was injured.
Despite claims that there was no known reason for the incident, Nena Brooker with Bridge Detroit spoke with Armond Harris, the owner of Jabs Gym, occupant of the structure’s third floor. He said, “I was in conversation with my landlord about there being some damage to the building that I was concerned with…Damage to the brick—the brick was separating from the original brick.”
The Detroit Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department quickly condemned the structure and ordered an emergency demolition, citing that it was in danger of collapsing entirely.
In addition to Harris’ Jabs Gym, Beyond Juicery and Eatery, Detroit Vs. Everybody, J’adore Detroit’s The Loft event space, and Brooklyn Outdoor Advertising Agency also called the structure home.
When I shot these photographs, the entire road was blocked off, and workers were standing at the ready. At the time, I wasn’t certain what they were waiting for. At least a dozen workers were staring at the building, almost as if it were going to do a magic trick. I expected that the next time I saw the Dueweke Grocery Company Building, the hole in the side would be much more significant.
However, when I returned in the evening, no tricks had been turned, and the structure was precisely how I had left it that morning. You can appeal a building’s condemnation (or emergency demolition; I’m not sure which), so I assume that Turnbull has done that or that there was another hiccup in the demolition process. There were no workers when I returned on Tuesday evening.
I’m not a structural engineer, so I can’t comment on whether or not the Dueweke Grocery Company Building is salvageable. However, in my experience, almost anything can be saved with enough money. Even though Eastern Market has become less artisan and more commercial in recent years, it’s still one of the most unique, walkable areas in Detroit, and slices of its historic character deserve to be preserved.
Hundreds of structures across the landscape of Detroit have had similar catastrophic collapses in recent years, many of which are still standing. The difference between those buildings and this one is that 2501 Russell Street is in Eastern Market, an area that’s popular with tourists. Whether that’s fair, I’m still unsure.
