7236 West Jefferson Avenue
American Metaseal of Detroit
Sometimes, considering the neighborhood’s current state, it’s easy to forget that Delray was littered with small buildings like this one. There aren’t many survivors in this section of 48209; if we continue to treat it like we currently do, there will be even fewer soon.
This structure was built in 1921. By the time it was constructed, Delray had become an industrial powerhouse.
From information compiled by Shirley Kmetz in the ‘Return to Old Delray, Old Detroit’ Facebook Group, it may have, at one time, been home to Closser Excavating & Hauling Company. This company fulfilled contracts for work to construct the Dime Savings Bank, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Edison, Michigan Bell Telephone, First National Bank, Stroh, and Ford Hospital Buildings. It was run by William Closser, who died at 64 in January 1932 at Delray Industrial Hospital (Delray General). I haven’t been able to tie the business to the structure on paper, but other research done by the group has proven to err on the correct side. Without people remembering what something was, documenting these structures would be a lot harder.
By 1952, American Metaseal of Detroit Incorporated was utilizing the space. Burke Muldoon, company president, told the Detroit Free Press that they had “saved mid-western manufacturers thousands of dollars through its process of plastic impregnation of castings to eliminate porosity.” Essentially, American Metaseal took castings that leaked under pressure and impregnated them with plastic to make them functional again.
That’s the only information I’ve found about 7236 West Jefferson. For as long as I can remember, it’s been abandoned and tattered, and it’s been vacant for as long as Google Street View has existed. There used to be a plaque on the top that read 1921, but it disappeared last year. I remember the first time I cycled past after it was gone—I couldn’t tell whether someone had stolen it or it collapsed and had been picked up. Either way, it’s gone.
A building was attached to the east until a few years ago, formerly used by the Crown Plating Company. It had been there since the 1950s and got in trouble for not submitting its six-month wastewater analysis report in 1988. This happened multiple times in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but the company continued to operate. It would close by 2004. I can’t help but wonder how polluted the ground is here—but it might be better if I don’t know.
Today, 7236 West Jefferson stands alone. To the west, the next building is Detroit Fire Department Engine 29. To the east, there’s…well, nothing. Everything east of here has been demolished for the new bridge. At one time, Jefferson Avenue was building after building without many gaps. Soon, given how this building looked when I shot these photos yesterday, there won’t be anything between Engine 29 and the new bridge.
For those who haven’t been, it’s hard to stress how little there is left in Delray. I’ve been working to document the remaining structures, which I think is worthwhile.
This building is behind 803 Cottrell, which I documented previously.
