8571 West Jefferson Avenue
Michigan State Bank of Detroit, A & S Form Tool Company
The origins of this bank building aren’t entirely clear, but I think I’ve determined enough to post about it.
In a recent article, I spoke about a man named Joseph Kruszewski. He had a saloon at 3301 Junction by 1904 and built a new structure to house it and his banking operation, the Michigan State Bank of Detroit. At some point in the 1910s, he built another bank building, pictured here.
On February 8, 1916, Kruszewski was murdered inside his bank at 8571 West Jefferson Avenue. He was shot in the back while working at the bank alone.
As I mentioned in the post about his structure on Junction, it was believed that Rudolph Snezek did the crime; however, he was later acquitted. To my knowledge, the murder was never solved. Joseph’s son took over the bank operations, and both structures continued to serve patrons of Southwest Detroit.
By 1937, the structure was for sale at the hands of the First National Bank in Chicago. I’m uncertain if they took over the banking space at some point or whether they were only handling the sale. However, the advert reveals that the structure had terrazzo flooring, a full basement, and steam heating.
In 1943, the building was utilized by the A & S Form Tool Company. This business, owned and operated by C. N. Akerly, was founded in 1940. According to the Detroit Free Press, he employed 16 men and produced “flat and circular form tools specially ordered by the company’s war contractor customers.” The article also spoke about how small tool shops were one of the most essential cogs in Detroit’s war effort machine. The operation received the Bullseye Flag, which was awarded to businesses that had achieved 100% employee participation in purchasing war bonds.
There were a significant number of adverts hiring workers at the shop in 1943 with the slogan “All-Out For Victory.” I haven’t determined when A & S left the space; however, a company under that name existed until 1979, later moving to Monroe.
After that, I’ve found no information about 8571 West Jefferson Avenue. A few folks online have stated they think the bottling company next door may have expanded into the structure, but I don’t believe that to be true.
This building is right on top of the Rouge River. Literally—the water is sometimes high enough to reach it. I can’t help but wonder whether the foundation of this and the bottling works next door have been compromised because of it.
Whenever I pass this structure, I can’t help but think how out of place it looks. Most of the buildings on that side of Jefferson feel a little off—however, something about this old bank building puzzles me. Given my research into Delray, I understand what the neighborhood used to be like and how that necessitated the need for a bank. However, considering the lack of investment here for nearly a half-century, thinking that a bank building could still stand here boggles my mind.
