3101 Bellevue Street
Service Coal Company, Bellevue Warehouse Company, Tom’s Auto Wrecking
This structure has always intrigued me, and I’ve been trying to find an old photo of it for ages. I haven’t had any luck finding an image, but after all the demolitions we’ve seen in recent weeks, I thought I’d better document this one before anyone gets any sly ideas.
The first mention of the Service Coal Company I’ve found in Detroit was in an article in the Detroit Free Press in 1928 about bowling. A $200 grand prize for the best five-person team was awarded in a tournament at Palace Recreation, which the Risdon Creamery Bowlers won. There were 103 prizes, and Mayor Goodell and the Service Coal Company tied for the last money prize, which was $5.
In 1931, there was an article about the company that was more business-focused. Then general manager Elmer A. Schmidt said, “Ford coke is made with a view to best answer the needs of home furnaces. It is clean, dustless and virtually smokeless, burning with a hot fire and leaving a minimum quantity of light ash.”
The Service Coal Company sold Ford coke, a coal-based fuel once popular for heating homes. It’s a byproduct of heating coal under certain specifications. Today, it’s primarily used in heavy manufacturing. In 2023, there’s a DTE Coke Battery Plant on Zug Island.
The Service Coal Company had multiple locations to pick up coke, including one at 3101 Bellevue, pictured here. The operation would continue through the early 1950s, but I’m not certain what happened to the company after that.
In 1962, there was an advert for the Bellevue Warehouse Company at the location. That was short-lived, as Tom Clark was utilizing the property for other means by 1972.
He petitioned the city to use “vacant land for a junkyard and use [the] building for offices in an M4 district.” This wasn’t permitted at that location then; evidently, he was successful. There are still chopped-up and crushed cars in the back lot.
I assume, at one time, the structure was much more extensive and connected to the roofless building on the back corner of the lot. The yard was constantly changing until a year or two ago. I used to cycle past here a few times a week, and I was always curious if I’d catch a glimpse of a classic car in its final days of life.
I believe that the company operated here was Tom’s Auto Wrecking. I’ve always wondered what the interior of the structure looked like. It’s so tiny—what could possibly be in there?
