5817 Chene Street
Single Family Dwelling
To many, a home burning on Chene Street was a common occurrence for decades. However, today, there are very few single-family homes left on the thoroughfare, so one burning isn’t nearly as common as it was a decade or two ago.
In 1897, Chene Street didn’t see much development, though the entire area had been platted, and parts had homes and stores. In the next three decades, the thoroughfare would boom, and many dwellings would be demolished to make way for stores or be added onto.
Though online records indicate that this structure was built in 1920, there are multiple listings in the Detroit Evening Times for a dwelling here starting in 1908. There may have been another dwelling here before the current one, but I doubt it. At one time, there was a storefront on the south side and another home on the north. By looking at the 1921 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, it doesn’t appear to have changed at all since then.
In July 1908, Alexander Novakowski, who was one year old and listed at this address, died from enteritis (inflammation of the small intestine). In August 1910, August Kortas, listed at this address, had a daughter. In March 1911, Charley Galantowitz, listed at this address, had a son. In January 1917, Milak Toresenko, listed at this address, had a son. In July 1917, F. Wojtuszek, listed at this address, had a son.
In January 1938, Stanley Evich, 51, and his wife, Mary, 49, lived here with their five children. The couple was charged with receiving money from the Welfare Department while holding a job. According to the Welfare Department, they took $119.75 between July 14 and December 14, 1937. In that same time frame, they said that Evich had earned $276.72 from his job at an automobile factory. The Welfare Department said that the family had been receiving benefits as far back as 1928. I’m not sure what happened in their case.
In September 1942, a girl was born to Violet Daughenbaugh, who was listed at the address. In January 1943, Elzbleta Rataj died at 52 while listed at the address.
In August 1953, Eugene Dougherty, 18, was listed at the address. He was in the paper because he was one of hundreds helping rebuild homes in Flint after a tornado ripped through the Vehicle City and Beecher, killing over 100 people.
Marko ‘Mike’ Cacevic has owned the structure since the 1990s. Mike is well-known in the neighborhood and owns several properties nearby, including Mike’s Auto Repair across the street, which sells lawnmowers, snow plows, bicycles, and other odds and ends.
Before the fire, I had seen the person who lived at the home multiple times. I’m unsure whether they were supposed to live there; however, I saw them numerous times. On many days, Mike would leave his dog in the yard between the home and 5801 Chene Street, which he also owns, to run around and get fresh air while he works across the street. The resident of the house and Mike’s dog survived the fire, though the structure next door did see some cosmetic damage. Mike told me that the fire on September 22, 2024 was arson.
To my count, there isn’t another single-family dwelling on Chene Street until 5334 Chene, between Kirby and Frederick. After that, you have to go a few more blocks, then a few more again, and so forth. Chene in Poletown East was once a vibrant corridor with stores, offices, businesses, and homes. Today, it’s primarily green space and underutilized commercial space owned by speculative investors.
Hopefully, we won’t lose any more structures on Chene Street.
