8464 Grand River Avenue
Peninsula State Bank, Liggett Drug, King's Drugs, Carousel Cleaners
8464 Grand River was built in 1918 for the Peninsula State Bank. Architect Dalton R. Wells designed the structure. The company had a five-story headquarters in downtown Detroit and branch locations around the city.
At some point after 1918, Peninsula State Bank merged with Dime Savings Bank, one of Detroit's more popular banks. The Dime Bank merged with Marchants National Bank to form the Bank of Michigan in 1929. In 1935, 8464 Grand River was sold to the New York Realty Company. I'd guess this branch closed sometime between the merger in 1929 and the sale in 1935.
When the bank left the property, it eventually became a Liggett Drug branch managed by Mr. Downey. This operation continued until at least 1943, as Downey was constantly trying to hire Soda Fountain Managers around that time.
Sometime after Liggett Drug left the premises, King's Drugs moved in. I haven't found much information about the establishment other than that it was managed by Marion Rabb and robbed in May of 1955. Thieves stole $850 from a money order cash register, which equates to roughly $9,400 in 2022.
The history of the building after this point gets a little murky. I am confident that it was Carousel Cleaners by 1985. There was a Carousel Cleaners in Detroit before that date, but I'm not sure it was the same one.
Two pieces of information lead me to believe that it may have existed prior. First, a Detroit police officer named Freddy 'The Cleaner' Marshall owned a business called Carousel Cleaners. Second, in 1973, David Hayes and his wife, Mary, were found dead in their home in Sumpter County, south of Belleville. David was the manager of a business called Carousel Cleaners in Detroit at the time, and his coworkers phoned the police when he didn't show up for work.
I'm not certain whether these point to the same establishment or a different one. There's a Carousel Cleaners on 13 Mile in Roseville that's still operational but doesn't appear to have any relation.
I am certain that Carousel Cleaners existed at 8464 Grand River in 1985. It was owned and operated by Willie Hall, a man with a positive reputation around the city of Detroit.
Willie had a degree in Business Economics & Psychology from Alamaba State University. He was also a graduate of the Detroit School of Real Estate, promoted concerts, and was the former Dean of Men at Daniel Payne College in Birmingham, Alabama. He attended Morning View Baptist Church in Detroit, was a lifetime member of the NAACP, and received the Mayor's Award for Merit.
Willie ran for a seat on the Detroit School Board in 1984 on the platform that the schools should be run more like a business, new technology should be introduced into classrooms, and classes like history and home economics should be cut. He also ran for a seat in the State House of Representatives in Detroit's 13th District. He was a member of the Detroit Charter Commission, where he was the treasurer. The more I search about Willie, the more I find. He was truly a titan for Detroit, and the longevity of his cleaners showcases that.
At one time, there were at least three Carousel Cleaners and two Carousel Laundromats. There was a Carousel Laundromat at 5501 Grand River (at the intersection of Grand River Avenue and I-94) just a mile and a half from 8464 Grand River. The businesses went up for sale in 2015 alongside both properties on Grand River. This leads me to believe these were the last two operational Carousel locations. Both properties closed around 2018 and are still owned by Willie and/or Carousel Cleaners.
In 2022, Willie would be roughly 87 years old. I haven't found any information on him lately, and the last documentation submitted to the state from Carousel Cleaners was in 2018. The location at Grand River and I-94 has been shuttered and boarded up, and the location at Grand River and Quincy recently suffered damage to its awning. Now that the old awning is gone, you can see hand-painted signs at least 20 years old.
The structure is visible for brief moments in the 2002 film 8 Mile when Cheddar Bob pulls a gun and shoots himself in the leg.
For over 100 years, this structure has been a part of the lives of folks in Petoskey-Otsego. Saving money from summer jobs or putting away savings to purchase a house, grabbing a prescription and a soda pop at the drug store, and picking up your tuxedo for senior Prom—this place has seen it all. It has been dramatically altered from its original state, but it has continued to serve the neighborhood. Hopefully, someday soon, it can do so again.
I live down the street from the building and shot these photographs on November 4, 2022.
