8035 South Street
Detroit Edison South Street Substation
I think the phrase 'they don't make them like they used to' is vastly overused. However, in this case, the sentiment is true.
This structure is an electrical substation. To be more specific, it's the Detroit Edison Company South Street Substation in Detroit's Delray Neighborhood.
I haven't been able to dig up much history on this structure—because, well, it's a substation. It transmits and distributes electrical power. People don't work here on a day-to-day basis—in fact, a lot of the time, they aren't even covered. If you've ever driven through the suburbs and seen a sizeable robotic-looking area with a barbed wire fence around it—those are often substations too.
In urban environments, they're often covered to fit into the city's landscape. As was true of many things early in the 20th Century in Detroit, this structure was built very solid. The facade is blooming with ornament, attention to detail, and handsome features.
This particular substation at 8035 South Street was completed in 1929. I haven't been able to determine who the architect was. A number of structures look like this around the city—most of which are Detroit Edison substations.
Detroit Edison, which was renamed DTE Energy in the 1990s, was formed by a merger between Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit and Peninsular Electric Light Company in 1903. Henry Ford worked at the former from 1891 until 1893.
The only piece of information I've found on this structure is that there was a large explosion here in November of 1954. Nobody was hurt, and the power didn't even go out, but the boom was loud enough to shake Delray.
At one time, Delray was home to numerous Detroit Edison power plants. Delray 1 was constructed in 1903, Delray 2 in 1908, and Delray 3 in the 1920s.
This building is in a constant graffiti battle. New pieces go up—crews paint over them, then the process starts again. There aren't workers at this substation regularly, so, apart from neighbors, there isn't anyone looking after it daily. The structure is in great shape, but the sides closest to West End and Jefferson are constantly covered in spray paint.
I've wanted to photograph this building in-depth for ages and finally decided to a few weeks ago. It just happened to be the first frigid day of the year, and we got our first flakes of snow while I was photographing it.
The larger section of the building (to the west) is well-maintained. The shorter, skinnier area to the east is a hollow shell that doesn't appear to be used for anything anymore. Pieces of the covered windows have peeled up so you can peek inside. Unless DTE decides they needn't use this structure anymore, I imagine it will remain in good shape.
