5801 Chene Street
Jacob Wisniewski Grocery, Alex Stieber Store, C. F. Smith Company, Trudy Bridal Shop, Resale Shop
This address includes 5801, 5803, 5805, and 5807 Chene Street.
According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, this part of Chene Street in Poletown East had some development in 1897 but was limited to mostly smaller dwellings on the side streets. There was a dwelling on this plot then; however, it was quite small and located at Hendrie and the alleyway. I believe this structure, which is much more prominent and faces the intersection of Chene and Hendrie, was built around 1906.
In 1907, the John Chloser family lived here. In the early morning hours of May 25, 1907, the family was burned out of the home that they shared with the Joseph Lanck family here. According to the paper, John Chloser could not walk before the fire, so the family struggled even more without a place to live. The damage to the house was estimated at $500. I can’t be sure this was the same structure; however, given the context, I think it was.
In 1909, Charles Dettloff was found “writhing in agony at Harper and Grandy” by Patrolman Max Wendland, according to the Detroit Evening Times. Dettloff told the officer he had taken poison, so he was rushed to Dr. S. A. Terski, whose address was listed as No. 1251 Chene Street, this structure’s address before the 1921 citywide address change.
Later that year, Jacob Wisniewski was on the books with the state commission, selling liquor by retail on the ground floor. He was listed on the books again in 1910, the same year he was listed as a grocer in the Detroit Free Press. In December, the City of Detroit paved Hendrie between St. Aubin and Grandy, including the area that runs past this structure.
On March 24, 1916, Joseph Coppersmith shot himself in the head at 10 PM Friday. He told police that he did it to scare his wife, as she wouldn’t stop chiding him. He was just 22 years old, and they lived in the structure pictured here. Though the bullet hit Coppersmith on the right side of his head and “glanced off,” he was set to recover at City Hospital.
Jacob Wisniewski was on liquor commission paperwork until at least 1917, when Michigan’s Prohibition law was enacted. In October of that year, the wedding of Miss Pauline Wisniewski and Mr. Roman Koslowski took place at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wisniewski. Likely, the Wisniewski family owned this structure at that time.
In 1919, there was an advert for a store run by Alex Stieber selling coffee. It was a one-off, so perhaps it was a misprint.
In 1922, a C. F. Smith Co. Chain Store selling Mulkey’s brand salt was listed at this address. In 1935 and 1936, a girl was born to Olive Chung, a resident of this structure. In 1935, Max Kozlowski, who was listed as living here, died.
In July 1942, a dress shop located inside this structure was for sale. The advert said it was for sale because of illness, but the operation was healthy and a steal of a business opportunity.
In August 1943, Jacob Wisniewski, 84, died in his home, 5801 Chene Street, pictured here. He was born in Poland and lived in Detroit for seven decades. His funeral was at St. Stanislaus, a short walk from his home.
I believe that the original configuration for this structure was two storefronts, both with entrances on Chene Street. On the second and attic levels were apartments. I’m unsure how many, but likely at least two.
By 1962, State Representative Adam Sumeracki, a Detroit Democrat, lived in this structure with his wife, Trudy. Sumeracki would serve as a rep for eight terms (1939-44 and 1955-64) and was first elected at age 27. He attended St. Stanislaus School, Northeastern High School, the Business Institute of Detroit, Monroe College of Optometry, and Pennsylvania State College of Optometry. In 1944, he was charged alongside 19 others with accepting bribes and sentenced to three to five years in prison. He was charged again in 1946 alongside 18 others for accepting bribes to vote against a banking bill; however, the case collapsed when Charles F. Hemans, the prosecution’s lead witness, refused to testify. Even after the controversy, he was elected to office again.
In November 1962, Sumeracki and his wife were reprimanded by State Police at Willow Run Airport. According to the Detroit Free Press, the couple’s luggage was overweight, setting off a red alarm light to go off. “‘Does that mean there’s a bomb in the luggage, Trudy?’ Sumeracki reportedly asked his wife.” Though it was a joke, the Sumeracki couple missed their flight to Chicago and had to wait seven hours for the next one before being able to make their connection to San Francisco.
In September 1965, Sumeracki ran for Detroit City Treasurer. At that time, he and his wife still lived in the structure pictured here. Sumeracki died in 2007 in Macomb County.
A 1979 image from the Detroit Public Library depicts this structure with a storefront called Trudy Bridal Shop on the main floor. I can’t help but wonder whether ‘Trudy’ was Representative Sumeracki’s wife, who shared the name. In the image, there’s a for sale sign in the window.
Most recently, this structure was used as a resale shop, selling lawn mowers, bikes, and other secondhand items. A year or two ago, a large tree that shrouded the corner was chopped down, giving anyone passing this structure headed northbound on Chene Street a better view of it.
While photographing this structure, a neighbor shouted at me and asked what I was doing. After he saw I was taking photos, he didn’t care. He said that the owner had problems with break-ins lately. I feel for the owner; however, I pass this structure a lot, and I’ve never seen a soul here maintaining, looking after, or watching the building.
Hopefully, this one can hold out and remain a Chene Street Mainstay, whatever that looks like in the ensuing decades.
