3301 Junction Avenue
Joseph Kruszewski’s Saloon, Michigan State Bank of Detroit, Saint Hedwig Flower & Gifts
By 1904, there was a bar at 3301 Junction, which, at the time, was still 1101 Junction before the citywide address change. The establishment was run by Joseph Kruszewski, a Polish American who had lived in the states since around 1890.
By 1911, Kruszewski was dreaming bigger. He used the money he had made at his frame-structured saloon and hired Pollmar & Ropes to design a new, more modern structure. It would be two stories and made of brick.
However, Kruszewski had a problem. In the years after he first opened his popular neighborhood watering hole, the Warner-Cramton law had been enacted. This 1909 law stated that saloons couldn’t be within 300 feet of a church or school. In 1904, St. Hedwig Catholic Church opened across the street.
Because he was there first, Kruszewski’s establishment was grandfathered in. However, if he stopped running his business at the address, he wouldn’t be allowed to reopen the saloon. This presented a predicament. Kruszewski wanted to expand his business, but doing so would mean losing his license to serve booze. Being the inventive man he was, Kruszewski came up with a solution.
By October 1911, the saloon had been moved into the middle of Horton Avenue (it may have been Norton), which is what St. Hedwig Street was named initially. Prosecutor Shepherd believed this was unlawful because his liquor license was for 1101 Junction, not Horton, so he was essentially misusing his license. However, he couldn’t act unless the police did so first. The police said they couldn’t do anything unless the temporary building blocked traffic, so Common Council would have to intervene.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Kruszewski’s saloon was ‘located near the middle of Horton Avenue where junction avenue intersects that thoroughfare.’ He claimed that he had gotten a permit from the Department of Public Works to move his saloon while he built the new structure and that he was happy to move into the new one at any time, even though it wasn’t yet completed.
Kruszewski lived in a home next door, also designed by Pollmar & Ropes, that still stands today.
I haven’t found a resolution to the saga of the saloon at the corner of Junction and Horton, but the watering hole remained in place in 1912 and 1915, so it sounds like Kruszewski won the battle.
Unfortunately, Michigan enacted the first statewide ban on alcohol, the Damon Act, in 1917. Luckily, Kruszewski diversified his investments and opened a bank around 1911. The financial institution was located within the same structure as his bar. By 1914, business necessitated another branch on West Jefferson. He ran it with his son, Stanley.
On February 8, 1916, Joseph Kruszewski was murdered at his bank on West Jefferson. He was shot in the back while working alone.
Initially, it was believed that Rudolph Snezek committed the crime; he was arrested for it. Snezek had recently married Mrs. Bronislawa Machowski, the wealthy widow of a saloon keeper and owner of property said to be valued nearly $50,000, or $1,500,000 today.
Kruszewski had advised Mrs. Machowski to keep her assets away from Mr. Snezek and to put the ownership of her new car in her name, not his. Apparently, Snezek had threatened to harm Kruszewski in the presence of witnesses. No money was taken from the bank after the murder.
Even with some evidence, a jury found Snezek not guilty in June 1916. Joseph Kruszewski’s funeral was held at St. Hedwig’s Roman Catholic Church across the street from the old saloon that had caused him so much trouble.
The structure had various uses over the years after Kruszewski’s death, but none that initially seemed to last a terribly long time, apart from Michigan State Bank of Detroit, which Kruszewski owned. Starting around 1970, Saint Hedwig Flower & Gifts began operating from the building. The florist was open through the 2000s and was known in the neighborhood for their colorful window displays during the Christmas season.
In recent years, not much has happened at 3301 Junction. At one time, it appeared to be undergoing renovation work. In 2016, it had a Motor City Match ‘Top Property’ sign in the window. For a while, the space was utilized for art and fashion events. Today, it appears to be vacant.
Around 2017, part of the brick and ornate limestone work on the St. Hedwig side of the structure began to crumble. It was tarped but is open to the elements today. Bricks litter the sidewalk, indicating they’re still falling from the building. It may have recently been for sale.
Hopefully, this structure will be stabilized soon. It’s a beautiful building; with some TLC, it could be magnificent.
