5755 Chene Street
Rosołowski Building, Rosołowski Bridal Shop, Grace Bridal Shop, Morry’s For Brides, Oliver’s Antiques
Bernard and Sophia Rosołowski were born in Poland, moved to America, and were married in Detroit in the early 1900s. They were a part of the enormous wave of migration from the territories located in modern-day Poland around the turn of the century. Many of these immigrants ended up on and around Chene and McDougall Streets on Detroit’s east side.
The Rosołowski family constructed 5755 Chene Street, pictured here, between 1913 and 1914. The family had living quarters upstairs, and there was a business on the main floor. The couple had three daughters, Grace, Beatrice, and Delphine.
In 1927, Bernard was charged with drunk driving on Elizabeth Lake Road. There’s a road with that name near Pontiac, but I’m not certain if it’s the same one.
By the early 1930s, Sophia had opened a bridal shop in the storefront on Chene Street. I believe it sold dresses of all sorts but specialized in wedding gowns.
In 1923, Miss Marie Dostal sued Sophia and the bridal shop, her former employers. The Rosołowski-run shop had previously claimed that Dostal had stolen from the store, leading to her arrest. She was proven innocent, so Dostal sued. She was after $100,000. The jury ruled in her favor but granted her just $1,000 in April 1932. Today, that’s roughly $22,000.
In 1938, according to local papers, Grace D. Rosołowski ran for a seat in the second district of the Michigan State Senate. There are just three mentions, so she unlikely made many waves in the election.
In 1947, Sophia was still running her bridal shop. She was suing a Detroit Police Officer for raiding her store a year prior.
She said that three Chene Street Police Station Officers showed up unannounced and without a warrant, tearing up her storefront and disturbing women who were waiting to be fitted. Officer Leitzel admitted that he had no search warrant and was looking for numbers (gambling) tickets. Sophia hoped to get $1,000 for her trouble.
However, a jury quickly dismissed the case. It turns out that John Rezippa had been arrested on the stairs leading up to the Rosołowski living quarters with 35 mutual tickets in his possession. So, the police were within their right to search the rest of the property. I’m unsure if they found anything in their pursuit.
At some point, probably in the 1940s, Sophia retired, leaving the shop to her daughter, Grace. The name changed to Grace Bridal Shop, which was a staple in the neighborhood. When Grace left the business, it became Morry’s For Brides. I’m uncertain when this transition occurred, but the bridal shop eventually closed. I’d guess it shut its doors for good in the 1970s.
By 1975, Oliver’s Antiques had moved into the space. This may have been the final occupant of the space, but I can’t be sure. A newspaper advertisement denotes that it was known for antique furniture, crystal, and china.
I’m not certain when Oliver’s closed or if the apartment was still in use at that time. I think that it may have been until the early 2000s. There was a commercial structure with multiple storefronts attached to the north until around 2010, when it was torn down.
Around 2018, this building was for sale at the tax foreclosure auction. In this era, I still had youthful eternal optimism and was looking for a space to house an art gallery of sorts. If I recall correctly, this space went for shy of $15,000. This was above my budget, and nothing has happened here since. It’s sat here, idle, awating, well, I’m not sure what.
Within the past few years, it was put up for sale through O’Connor Realty for $175,000. The interior photographs display that some ornate details remain; however, the structure is in dire shape. I’m unsure whether it sold. However, at that price, in this condition, and in Poletown East, I’d be shocked if it had.
