815 Bates Street
Albert A. Pochelon Building, L. Bemb & Co., Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association, Visual Training Corporation
Soon, these buildings won’t be standing anymore. They will be reduced to rubble to make way for a reimagined Monroe Block that features historical aspects of buildings that stand today—but the Pochelon Building hasn’t been deemed necessary enough to be salvaged.
Albert A. Pochelon was born in the 1870s in Germany. At some point, he ended up in Detroit. By trade, Pochelon was a florist. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press in 1904, he had been the manager of L. Bemb & Co. florists at 153 Bates ‘for years.’ The business’ namesake, the Bemb Family, may have been one of Pochelon’s uncles.
Pochelon was an engaged part of the community as a member of the Florists’ Club and as a judge at gardening competitions for Detroit’s school children. By 1909, he owned the L. Bemb Floral Company.
However, his dedication to the craft didn’t stop at floral arrangements. Pochelon was one of the founding members of the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association. The idea for the group was that association members could use florists in other cities to deliver flowers across the country. That way, someone in New York could send flowers to someone in Detroit the same day they placed their order. Philip Breitmeyer, a florist and the 44th Mayor of Detroit, was another founding member and later president of the organization.
In 1912, Pochelon became the national executive secretary of the organization, which had 57 members at that time. For the first eight years of the organization’s existence, he paid all of the expenses of the organization. By 1928, there were 4,000 members across the globe, and by 1957, 11,000. Detroit was the epicenter of the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association, and Mr. Pochelon was one of the people that made it so successful.
In June 1913, Pochelon was involved in an incident with construction workers tearing down a structure beside his. Wrecking crews were taking down 157-159 Bates Street, an old barber shop, to make way for the Palace Theatre when Pochelon thought they needed to be more careful with the demolition.
He exchanged stern words with W. H. Burgess, the site superintendent. While the argument was ongoing, one of the workers picked up a brick from the demolition and aimed it at Pochelon. Police had arrived on the scene and instructed the ‘Italian laborer’ to “drop that or I’ll run you in.”
When Pochelon noticed what the man was doing with the brick, he instructed his clerks to load his shotgun. Luckily, the police could calm the situation, and the demolition continued. Ultimately, the Palace Theatre would end up on Monroe Street, two buildings down from the National, anyways.
Even with his temper, the Pochelons quickly became popular in Detroit. They often took trips up to their summer home in Lovells, Michigan, to fish the north branch of the Au Sable River. Not far from Grayling, the small town was a lumber community.
Back in Detroit, Pochelon was thinking bigger. In 1923, the Pochelon Building would be completed. It was designed by Mildner & Eisen and features several ornate carvings on the facade. This structure would house the L. Bemb Floral Company and the headquarters of the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association.
By 1928, a structure had been built on the Farmer side of the Pochelon Building to house the FTDA. It was just as ornate as the Pochelon but has since been redeveloped past recognition. It still stands today.
I’m not sure when Albert A. Pochelon moved on from Bates Street. There aren’t many advertisements for his company past the 1930s, but it existed for decades afterward. When he passed away on June 14, 1948, his daughter Emma took over the company, moving it to Woodward Avenue near the State Fairgrounds. A Pochelon still owned it until 1956, when she sold it to one of the workers at the shop. Emma passed away at 93 in Saginaw in 2003.
By the 1930s, the 42nd Infantry, or Rainbow Division, Veterans had their headquarters on one of the floors above the storefront. These would have been veterans of the first World War.
One of their neighbors, the Detroit Ping Pong Association, also utilized space in the 1930s. The organization sponsored ping pong teams and matches—notably a tournament against a Cleveland team in December 1933. Detroit lost; it was their only defeat of the year.
By 1943, the Visual Training Corporation had moved into the space. The company produced educational films and manual programs for the army and other government agencies. According to the Detroit Free Press, the structure was “large enough to completely house the motion picture, slidefilm, art, printing and creative departments under one roof.”
Genaro A. Florez owned the enterprise. He transformed the Associated Sales Co. into a salesperson training company, eventually renaming it Florez, Inc. The company was still utilizing the Pochelon Building in 1958.
By the late 1960s, the structure was vacant. However, in 1971, it was completely renovated. This may be when 1000 Farmer next door was remodeled beyond recognition as well. The Pochelon Building saw new aluminum windows, wiring, plumbing, the addition of tenant-controlled heating and AC, and a new automatic elevator. The structure was aimed at smaller tenants, but the spaces could also be combined for larger companies.
I’m not sure if the renovation was successful. Downtown Detroit continued to bleed residents and commercial occupants throughout the 1970s. In 1972, one of the suites was utilized by Norman Davis and his law firm. Apart from that, there isn’t much on record at the location.
At some point before that, the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association moved into offices at the Lafayette Building. After that, it moved to Southfield and later to its present location in Downers Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
In the early 2000s, occupants may still have been inside the structure. However, by the end of the new millennium’s first decade, it was vacant. However, the building’s integrity remained relatively intact.
At some point, a parking garage had been constructed between the corners of Randolph and Monroe and Randolph and Bates. It was vacated and used by graffiti artists to paint on the side of the Pochelon and National Theatre buildings. It was called the City Slicker and was torn down around 2014. The City Slicker sign was moved to a parking garage across Randolph Street.
Since then, there have only been three structures on the plot of land bounded by Monroe, Randolph, Bates, and Farmer; the National Theatre, the Pochelon Building, and the Florists’ Telegraph Delivery Association Building next door. For years, Detroiters have been hoping for plans that utilized the two ornate structures that have called that block home for a combined two centuries.
In 2016, Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock purchased the entire block (including a large surface lot behind the Cadillac Tower) and started crafting redevelopment plans. The first renderings called for the demolition of all three structures—however, those plans never materialized. A few years later, Bedrock announced new plans to transform the National Theatre facade into a walkway and destroy the rest of the block for redevelopment, including the Pochelon Building.
Again, those plans were put on hold. That is, until last week. The most recent plan from Bedrock saves the entire facade of the National Theatre but moves it to Cadillac Square. The Pochelon Building isn’t mentioned in the plans, but from renderings, it’s assumed it would face the wrecking ball.
The Pochelon Building deserves historical recognition. It was the birthplace and home of one of the most important floral organizations in the history of the United States. The exterior is architecturally significant, and there’s no reason it can’t, or shouldn’t, be salvaged.
From every angle, the demolition of the Pochelon is a huge whiff. At the least, Bedrock must ensure the architectural details are removed and donated to local historic preservation groups.
I mean, come on, look at those grubby little faces!
