7506-7512 Michigan Avenue
Louis Halbstein Building, Michigan Coney Island
Around here, there’s a common saying that Detroit is a city of neighborhoods. I believe that to be true; however, I’ve always considered it a city of coney islands.
No matter what neighborhood you go to, odds are, there’s a coney island there. No two coneys are the same—even those that operate as chains have colloquialisms on their menus and often are forced to fit within whatever structure is available.
Nicky D’s at the corner of Seven and Livernois is a different experience than their operation by my house at Dexter and Davison. The same can be said when comparing Grandy’s location at Holbrook and 75 to their spot at Mack and Mt Elliott.
Although I wasn’t there to experience it, there were undoubtedly dozens, if not hundreds, of other coney island restaurants dotting the landscape of Detroit that didn’t make it. Maybe the neighborhood became too sparse, a chain moved in and cut them out of business, or the owner grew old and retired.
This structure, to my knowledge, wasn’t originally a coney island. It was constructed for Louis H. Halbstein between 1919 and 1920 at an estimated cost of $36,000, or roughly $600K in 2023. It was planned to house stores, offices, and apartments. At the corner, there’s still an ornate ‘LH’ at the top of the building. Louis H. Halbstein may have been a dentist.
The structure was designed by Pollmar & Ropes.
The first business I found here was a bakery in the 1930s, then a meat market in the 1940s, and eventually a restaurant by 1939. Gus’ Kitchen was there in the early 40s—eventually being put up for sale in 1944. That same year, there was still a grocer inside, too.
Throughout all that time, folks were living upstairs. Back in the day, Detroit had several walkable neighborhoods. Thanks to dense population clusters and a cohesive public transportation hub, you could flourish in the Motor City without a car. As soon as you stepped outside your door, there were restaurants, doctor’s and dentist’s offices, hardware stores, grocers, and, last but not least, coney islands.
I haven’t determined when Michigan Coney Island opened, but I believe it was around 1970. The bright yellow sign remains, and disorderly lightbulbs adorn a large star arrow that points toward the doorway. At one time, a large awning spelled out ‘Michigan Coney Island’ with a block M similar to the one used by a particular university in Ann Arbor.
Michigan Coney Island closed around 2013. Shortly after, newspapers were placed in the windows to deter unwanted eyes. Around this time in Detroit, scrappers routinely broke into vacant structures. Everything of value was taken—most often, the copper.
There may have been a fire in the structure shortly after it closed, but I haven’t been able to verify that. In 2016, the awning and a large chunk of the facade came crashing down. The brick was fixed shortly afterward.
In 2018, the building was purchased by Dennis Kefallinos. Since then, no visible work has been completed. The exterior was initially painted blue after the restaurant closed; however, since Kefallinos took over ownership, it’s been painted the same poop brown color you see covering graffiti across the city.
To the naked eye, the structure is in solid shape; however, considering the current ownership, I’m not holding my breath for restoration efforts. In recent years, ol’ Dennis claimed he would sell all his properties. That’s a good sign for preservation in Detroit, but only a handful of buildings have left his clenched fists.
Hopefully, this structure will be sold and stabilized soon!
