8420 Beaubien Boulevard
Green’s Market, Church, Residential Dwelling
This structure was originally a tiny residential dwelling. According to the 1915 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, it was there by the mid-1910s. At some point in the 1920s, it was converted into a grocery store and added onto before the 1950s, bringing the facade to the sidewalk.
By 1967, Green’s Market was utilizing the space. It was run by Roy Green, 39 at the time. On March 25 that year, two bandits descended upon the grocery and held up the joint. One of the men was armed, and the duo took $30 and a revolver from Green and $53 from Pierce Andrews, a customer. I’m not sure whether or not the men were ever caught.
On Friday, March 9, 1973, an unidentified man was found by police outside the building at 1:30 in the morning. He would later be identified as Glenn T. Brown, and the cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds to his back.
After that, I haven’t found anything substantial about the structure online. At some point, it was converted into a church. However, it was abandoned and falling apart by 2007. During the pandemic, the roof caved in, turning the cross on the facade into a ’T.’
This structure is a reminder of how much of Detroit’s history hasn’t been publically recorded. I’m certain there are people in Detroit who know more about this structure—perhaps even folks who shopped at the grocery store or were members of the assumingly small congregation that called it home.
However, because of the history of this city, that information hasn’t been deemed worthy of recording. I think that’s a bummer, and I hope we continue to learn from the past and make better choices about how we document and remember people, places, and events in this city.
I’m not saying that this structure is architecturally significant or that we should chain ourselves to the front door to stop them from demolishing it; however, this building will undoubtedly be gone soon. Without writing a few things about it down, it’ll be gone forever, and that’s a bummer.
The structure is now on a plot of land contained by 509 East Euclid Street. A proposed development sign went up around 2020, but no work has been done to the parcel.
If you’re interested in seeing this one, I’d do it sooner rather than later.
Thanks to Andy Brogowicz for sharing Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps and insights on this structure.
