5706 Chene Street
Nowak Hardware, Nowak Bros. Hardware, Black Bottom Social Club, Da Facility
Information about the early years of this structure has been hard to come by. It was built in the early 1920s and was operational as Nowak Hardware by 1925. Nowak had two sons, Chester and Edward, who grew up on the second floor of the structure pictured here. Eventually, they took over the business, and it was renamed Nowak Bros. Hardware.
In 1941, Philip Nowak, who lived upstairs, was hit by a driver at the intersection of Ferry and Dubois, a short walk from here. The driver, Edward Kozak, 24, was arrested for fleeing an accident that seriously injured a pedestrian. Nowak, 55, may have been Chester and Edward’s uncle, but I’m not certain. I believe their father was Feliks, and their mother was Irene.
Chester served in the Navy during the Second World War, settled down, and had two children. When he ran for Michigan State Representative for the 9th District in 1960, his paperwork indicated that he lived above the hardware store. He was 33 at the time. I don’t believe he won; however, he would run for other offices in the future.
When new articles of incorporation for the hardware were drawn up in 1968, the two brothers were the sole owners of the store. Chester T. Nowak lived in Warren, and Edward Nowak resided in St. Clair Shores. In 1970, an article listed them as a V&S hardware affiliate, which was either shortlived or a mistake. By 1970, they had become affiliated with True Value, which they’d hang onto for years.
In 1974, the area around the hardware store got a $115,000 facelift. The renovations were spurred by the Chene-Ferry Market, which had struggled in recent years. The market was spruced up, got new paved parking lots, and had an entirely new lighting system. Urban Planners thought that many Detroit residents didn’t know about the market because they couldn’t see it from the main thoroughfare, Chene Street. To address this, they purchased the two buildings that stood in front of the Chene-adjacent entrance, demolished them, and created an entryway visible from the street.
Surrounding businesses spent $25,000 on awnings, planters, shutters, new paint jobs, and other improvements. The focus area was on Chene between Ferry and Palmer. Although Nowak Bros. Hardware was just outside that area, the Nowak’s were involved in the project.
The Detroit Free Press reported, “Chet Nowak was so enthusiastic…that he expanded his hardware store by buying an adjacent building that had been an A & P store.” Additionally, he purchased another vacant structure on the opposite side of Chene Street because “this block on Chene is a good investment.”
As much as I admire his mentality, even if he didn’t live in the city at the time, looking back, most would probably say he was wrong.
By 1980, the brothers had moved their storefront to the old A & P grocery store building. Within a decade, Chene Street had been cut off from the outside world by a new GM plant and the Detroit Waste Incinerator.
In 1985, the Detroit Free Press wrote about how the new GM plant affected Poletown East. Elbert Betts, a customer at Talley’s Barber Shop, said, “They said the plant was going to help. All it did was kill the neighborhood. It seems like they’re trying to drive the peoples out…I don’t understand the system.” Coleman A. Young said that business owners were using the new plant as an excuse for the decline of their neighborhood, which had been ongoing for decades. Whereas Young had a point, the cutoff from the world was real. Chene Street used to flow into Joseph Campau, the main thoroughfare of Hamtramck. After the plant’s completion, Chene dead-ended into a factory. You only went on Chene if you had to. Ed Nowak of Nowak Hardware said, “Once you get the traffic pattern, business can only go up…I’m an eternal optimist.”
Chester T. Nowak died in 1990. He was the one-time president of the Polish Century Club in Warren.
In 1993, Nowak Hardware was still kicking, albeit at its new location by the Chene-Ferry Markt. I’m not sure what happened to the old building after the move. When asked about the neighborhood, Ed told the Detroit Free Press that he thought Poletown would return, but he wasn’t sure how long it would take. Back then, he felt that “People are afraid because of the crime.” Not much has changed. In 2001, Nowak Hardware closed.
Around this era, things on Chene Street get murky. The old guard, primarily Polish businesses and their owners, retired or died out. Some new companies moved in to replace them; however, most were short-lived, and the buildings they occupied quickly joined their neighbors in abandonment. Buildings were burned, operated as churches, demolished, or left to rot. Because of the transitions, it’s hard to say what happened to many buildings here in that era. That said, the old Nowak Hardware survived.
In 2013, Ed Nowak died.
His old residence and business had a new life as the Black Bottom Social Club three years prior. It was incorporated by Carmelita Ivory in 2010 and hosted parties and late-night events. In 2012, James Monroe took over the business. By 2015, it had been dissolved.
That same year, Da Facility, LLC was incorporated by Nua Gjokaj and began operations as an after-hours at 5706 Chene Street. If you aren’t familiar, an after-hours establishment typically opens when the bars close, which is 2 AM in Detroit. Although technically not allowed to serve alcohol, many do it illegally. Da Facility often hosted parties and had DJs, including Detroit’s DJ Assault.
In May 2017, Nua Gjokaj had his house and business raided by the federal government. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, “54 firearms, a vehicle, $94,000 cash, five pounds of marijuana, 334 grams of heroin, 30.5 grams of cocaine, and 1,500 pills of hydrocodone and Xanax” were taken from his home and business. He’s set to be released from prison on March 1, 2024.
After Gjokaj was put away, 5706 Chene still operated as an after-hours. In 2019, two men got into an argument, leading to one shooting the other in the head. I’m unsure if anyone was ever charged or if the man survived.
In 2020, the structure suffered a destructive fire. I haven’t determined the cause; however, it’s still standing. You might wonder why it’s been allowed to sit here for over three years looking like this. Well, it’s currently owned by the City of Detroit. From my experience and what I’ve researched, the city still, generally speaking, doesn’t care about Poletown East.
The door to the upstairs apartment where the Nowak family lived and grew up is wide open. There’s a dead raccoon carcass sitting on the floor in the entryway. You can smell the mixture of animal decay and burnt wood from across the street most days.
This structure will certainly join many of its neighbors on Chene Street on the long list of buildings that have been demolished; it’s just a question of when.
