5139 Chene Street
Hysko Residence, Modern Hair Goods Company, Chene Decorating Company, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, Beautiful Gate Temple
The current structure at 5139 Chene Street was built in at least three parts. Initially, there was a 1.5-story dwelling on the parcel, which was there by 1897, as it’s included on that year’s Sanborn Fire Insurance Map.
In 1902, Anna Nagel, a child, lived here and died from diphtheria, a bacterial infection. She was either 3 or 8; the ink smudged, so it’s hard to tell.
In 1910, August Kolke, 41, lived here and died from pneumonia.
By 1912, the Hysko (or Hyski) family had purchased the home. That year, the family was getting off the Baker Streetcar at Farnsworth and was tossed onto the pavement, and all three members of the family, husband, wife, and daughter, were sent to the doctor. Mrs. Hysko injured her spine and was concussed, her husband tore his arm, and their daughter had a cut over her eye and damaged her eye.
The Hysko family planned an addition in June 1914. The permit was worth $250, or roughly $8,000 in 2025. This addition was likely the storefront visible on the 1921 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map. The space is so small that it’s likely that the storefront ate into the home, even back then. By 1915, the commercial space was in use by the Modern Hair Goods Company.
By 1925, the longest-serving tenant of the storefront had moved in: the Chene Decorating Company. The business sold wallpaper, paint, supplies, and linoleum goods. Likely, as the company was hiring fairly frequently in the Detroit Free Press, they also offered painting and wallpapering services. One advert said that the job would include factory work. There were dozens of manufacturing facilities within a medium walk from this store; somebody had to paint them, right?
In 1930, the police discovered something here that had nothing to do with home improvement. The Vice Squad descended on the property, led by Sergeant Walter Storch, and found an akly plant. Finding a still or two was somewhat common during prohibition, although alky plants, which “colored, flavored, and sold in bottles bearing well-known liquor labels,” were less common, according to the Detroit Free Press. According to the piece, the operation was inside this structure but separated from the store by a brick wall. The total capacity of the alcohol brewing instruments was 9200 gallons, which is more than enough for a party, I’d say.
No one was present at the time of the raid, though two men loitering outside were taken in for questioning. I’ve never found any repercussions for anyone regarding this raid, and the Chene Decorating Company was open for decades after the Vice Squad descended on the property.
By the 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, a small warehouse had been added to the back of the structure.
Rogers Paints was available at the store for most of its business life. Later, it became a MAC-O-LAC dealer. The last mention of the business that I’ve found was in 1964. According to Andy Brogowicz, the store was owned by Victor Mikulewicz.
After the shop closed, the structure became a storefront church.
Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church of Detroit was incorporated on the state level in 2008; however, the congregation was meeting here before that, potentially under a different name under Michigan’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. That church dissolved in 2017, and the structure was vacant for a few years before becoming Beautiful Gate Temple, which was incorporated in 2021. The Nonprofit was disbanded in 2024, though the congregation still meets here and live streams their services on Sundays.
Chene Street used to have a handful of dwellings with small storefronts added onto the front of them. There was another one across the street from this one, though it was demolished in 2024. A neighborhood plan that enables citizens to live and work in the same area is huge for building communities and is something Detroit has been crying out for since the neighborhoods began to decline in the 1950s.
Hopefully, this structure can continue to serve the church that calls it home and find someone to carry the torch after they no longer need it. Hopefully, we’ll see more preservation on Chene Street in the ensuing decades.
