5568 St. Aubin Street
Stefan Zetlinski & Co. Bar, Frank Zetlinski Bar, Joseph Novak Bar, Stefen Cetlinski Bar
This address includes 5568-5570 St. Aubin Street.
I believe that this structure was built around 1905. According to insurance maps, in 1897, there was very little in this part of Detroit. However, with the expansion of Detroit’s manufacturing core, this area would see rapid population growth, including the need for more housing, storefronts, and saloons. According to liquor license records, by 1909, the storefront pictured here was used as a bar run by Stefan Zetlinski & Co.
The following year, the licensee’s name was changed to Frank Zetlinski, who I assume is Stefan’s relative. The upper portion of the structure was apartments, and various births and deaths were attributed to the apartments over the years.
On May 5, 1911, north and southbound Chene-Baker street cars collided at a switch at Chene and Garfield. The cars were severely damaged, and three riders were injured, including Frank Citilenski, who lived above the bar pictured here. He injured his hip and back.
In December 1911, a liquor license was listed at the address under Joseph Novak. In April 1912, the Detroit Free Press listed Novak as an ex-convict, which may have affected his license.
In May 1914, the structure was involved in a lawsuit that became a bit of a joke. John Lamfrasski, listed as the landlord, was trying to “oust [Steve] Sobolewski, a saloonkeeper at 1234 St. Aubin Avenue, but the testimony showed the Detroit Brewing Company as the real tenant,” according to the Detroit Free Press. That was the address before the city-wide change in 1921. Apparently, Sobolewski was a subtenant, and Lamfrasski was taking suit against the wrong person. Sobolewski refused the case to be thrown out, demanding a jury trial, which he received. He was found not guilty. In October 1914, Sobolewski still lived in the structure according to the birth record of his son.
In December 1915, Stefen Cetlinski held the bar’s liquor license. A little over a year later, prohibition struck Michigan, and bars were forced to close legally. Many remained open in the early years, but the police became stricter as time went on.
In September 1919, Cetlinski was arrested for violating state prohibition laws. According to the Detroit Free Press, the police in Detroit did not like wrecking and closing bars; however, they weren’t opposed to it if bar owners were operating openly. Officers from the Seventh Precinct went into the joint on Saturday, September 13, 1919, and were served booze, so a warrant was produced on Monday. I’m not certain what happened to Cetlinski; however, prohibition wasn’t repealed until 1933, so he may have been out of work for a while.
After the prohibition arrests, I haven’t found much information on this structure. In 1954, a fire started in a pile of garbage nearby, lighting two barns on fire and destroying an automobile. It was windy, so the fire spread to nearby homes, including the structure pictured here. The article made it seem as if the damage was negligible.
I’m not sure what happened to the storefront on the main floor over the years; however, this structure is one of very few left on this section of St. Aubin and the only one on that street I can think of between Grand Boulevard and East Warren.
Detroit-based artist Scott Hocking informed me that the side of the structure said Butterbean Enterprises before the mural was completed. In reviewing old company records, I found that Butterbean Enterprises, Inc. was incorporated by Anthony Bailey Gibson in 1990. The organization called 5570 St. Aubin, the structure pictured here, home until it was dissolved in 2006. Its articles of incorporation stated that the company worked in landscaping, janitorial services, entertainment, and other ventures.
Around 2016, while exploring a nearby structure, friends and I stumbled upon the muralist painting the Palmer side of this structure using a mini projector. The mural has stayed in great shape since then, and I love cycling past it whenever I can.
The upper portion of the facade collapsed or was removed around 2021. Work has been going on here for a few years, though it’s hard to tell the owner’s intentions. Still, it’s a nice sight to see a structure that was in poor shape being looked after and tended to. The current owner is listed as a general contractor, so hopefully, they can continue working on it. There are new windows and other indications that they’re doing just that.
Many of the thoroughfares that run through Poletown East lack historic commercial structures, so I’m hopeful this one can continue standing. Plus, it has some prohibition history, and that’s worth saving!
