3482 Chene Street
Sam and Anthony Bruno’s Store, Chene & Scott Grocery, Loyal Temple Baptist Church
I believe the current structure that houses this church was built in the 1970s. However, there was a building there for decades prior that the current church occupied, so I figured it was worth diving into that, too.
The 1897 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map shows a two-story storefront here, and the 1921 Map shows that, too. There were some modifications in the 20+ years between maps, but it appears to be the same structure. Compared to today, there were very few vacant lots in the landscape of Chene Street and the surrounding areas.
In 1938, Sam and Anthony Bruno’s store occupied the storefront on the main floor. On February 3, their shop was robbed of $44.40 worth of goods, just under $1,000 in mid-2024.
In 1946, the storefront was occupied by the Chene & Scott Grocery. The store was handed a 30-day suspension for selling sugar without requiring the proper ration stamps to purchase it. The ban only applied to sugar. Though World War II was over, there were still rations for certain things until 1947.
Between 1947 and 1948, multiple ads were placed in the paper, trying to sell the structure that stood there. The listing said it was vacant, in a ‘colored’ neighborhood, and had seven rooms. The purchase required $3,000 down; the last ad I found was in February 1948.
The 1950 Sanborn Map shows little change from the 1921 version, though the neighborhood had changed. There were additions to homes and more garages. It was still listed as a store and not a church; however, I’m not certain what the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps labeled a storefront church.
Loyal Temple Baptist Church was founded in 1951. I’m not sure where the congregation met initially; however, by 1962, they were meeting in a structure at the exact location as the one pictured here. The church was mentioned a few times in the Detroit Tribune, the leading paper for Black Detroiters, published from 1933 until 1966.
In 1963, the Loyal Temple Baptist Church held its 8th Annual Women’s Day Celebration, which featured speakers and panels on various issues.
In 1971, the church wanted to raze its current building to erect a more modern one-story church building. Considering the structure it was currently in was close to a century old, it likely took a lot of work to maintain. I don’t think it went through at first, and the Detroit Free Press said this was due to a “deficient front yard, side yards lot area, lot width, and off-street parking.”
Regardless of that attempt, I believe the structure pictured here was built in the 1970s. There isn’t much special about it architecturally, but operating an organization on Chene Street isn’t common in the modern era, so I couldn’t help but document it.
Loyal Temple Baptist Church still owns and operates the building, though I’ve never seen anyone go inside it. That might not mean it isn’t operational, though, and the church’s paperwork at the state level is up to date.
Like the neighborhood surrounding it, this structure looks vastly different than it once did. Still, the fact that it’s open is a testament to the church that owns it.
