732 South Solvay Street
Kloian Restaurant, West Fort Street Baptist Church, Soul Devils MC Downriver Chapter
Even with a tool as universal as the internet, there are still gaps when it comes to researching some buildings. That’s not to say there’s no information out there; sometimes, you aren’t looking in the right place, you don’t have the right archival subscription, or you’re searching for something that hasn’t been digitized yet.
Regardless of the reason, I’ve struggled to find much information about the structure pictured here. I’ve encountered this a few times, especially regarding some of the buildings I’ve been looking to document in Delray.
This is especially difficult for structures built before Delray’s annexation into Detroit in 1906. That isn’t the case for this structure, which I’d guess was built in the 1910s. However, even after annexation, Delray was on the far outskirts of the city and often didn’t get much coverage in the local papers.
I believe that this structure was initially a restaurant. The 1921 Polk City Directory places Samuel Kloian, a restaurant owner, and Simon Kloian, a cook, here. By the 1928 City Directory, Abraham Kloian was listed here, too. According to the archive, he was a laborer.
Considering all the people listed here, I can’t help but wonder whether there was a home attached to this structure at one time. I’ve highlighted other buildings with this layout in the past (4613 Chene and 2912 Mt. Elliott come to mind), and if you look closely, the back portion of this building is cinderblocks, which is more modern than the bricks used throughout the rest of the structure. I can’t be certain of this, but I wouldn’t be surprised, given the layout.
After the information on the Kloian family in the directory, I’ve found nothing for decades.
In 1990, Reverend Gus Mack Sparks incorporated West Fort Street Baptist Church. Initially at 6620 West Fort Street, a commercial structure near Motz’s Burgers, by the early 2000s, the congregation had moved to the building pictured here. By then, the reverend was Eddie Cockrell. The church’s last annual report is from 2012, about when the storefront church appears to have been vacated.
In 2019, the structure had a new lease on life as a motorcycle club. It was utilized by the Soul Devils MC Downriver Chapter. It was painted black, maintained, and used for gatherings. However, the fun wouldn’t last long.
On December 6, 2021, the structure caught fire. Luckily, Engine #29 was still operational then, so it was quickly extinguished. I don’t think that the building was being used when the fire occurred.
Since then, the property has fallen into the city’s lap. It isn’t maintained and will certainly be demolished.
If anyone can tell me more about this little structure in Delray, I’d love to know more!
