5505 Rosa Parks Boulevard
Superior Starter & Generator Service, Pioneer Starter & Generator Service, Spirit Starters & Alternators
I’ve had a strange love affair with this building since I moved into my current neighborhood a few years ago. Back then, I worked on a boat on the Detroit River. When the weather wasn’t downright disrespectful (and sometimes when it was), I rode my bike to and from work. From Dexter and Joy to Hart Plaza is anywhere between five and a half to eight miles, depending on your chosen route.
I often worked until after midnight, so I’d do my best to take roads without traffic home. I’d often hop on West Jefferson until it transitioned into Rosa Parks and take that to Grand Boulevard or Clairmont. This was an extraordinarily discursive way of explaining that I passed this structure frequently.
Something about this plot of land is eternally eerie. It’s on a tiny slice of land between two transportation corridors—I94 to the south and an active rail line to the north. This forms a small wedge of land that, since around 1970, has housed an automotive shop.
Willis S. Deigel incorporated Superior Starter & Generator Service, Inc. at 5505 Twelfth Street in 1974. I believe this was the first business to occupy the property.
In February 1976, Twelfth Street was renamed after Rosa Parks after a vote by the Detroit City Council. Carl Levin, then City Council President, said that the goal was to try and cover the street’s negative connotation with a positive one.
The poor reputation Levin is referring to began in July 1967. Also known as the ‘12th Street Riot,’ the Detroit rebellion in 1967 started at a blind pig on Twelfth Street. Since that fateful summer, it has had a notorious reputation across the country. City Council aimed to remedy that by naming the street after Parks, who had resided in Detroit since 1957.
When asked about renaming a street in her honor, Parks told the Free Press, “I’m pleased with the decision, and I appreciate the honor.” Rosa Parks remained in Detroit for the rest of her life and passed away in 2005.
Although they didn’t move locations, Superior Starter & Generator Service was now on Rosa Parks Boulevard. I’m not sure when the business moved from that location, but their LARA records indicate they were there until at least 2004. By 2007, the building had been repainted to read ‘Pioneer Starter & Generator Service,’ and by 2009, ‘Spirit Starters & Alternators.’
Since then, it’s been covered with graffiti, illegal dumping has been common in the parking lot, and traffic continues to wiz by on the highway and railroads that corner it behind Rosa Parks Boulevard.
Trees surround the structure, so in the Fall, it’s a stunning sight to behold. The paint used to cover the graffiti is orange and brown, matching the changing leaves. In the winter, snow covers the landscape, and the scene is surprisingly calm. In the warmer months, the overgrowth nearly covers the facade entirely.
It’s currently for sale for $435,000. The listing says it’s a “well maintained 3,200 square foot building.” Do you agree?
