8605 Gratiot Avenue
Sinclair Gas Station, Don’s Auto Trim
8605 Gratiot was built around 1940 as a service station. I’m not sure what denomination of fossil fuels the building dealt with, but it looks extraordinarily similar to Sinclair Gas Stations of the era.
Although tattered today, the ornate details shine through the rubble and are viewed by thousands of cars cruising past Burns on Gratiot daily.
By 1964, Don’s Auto Trim was working out of the structure. They sold and installed convertible tops, carpets, rubber mats, and seat covers. Plus, they worked to repair the original trim on automobiles, too. By 1968, Don had moved his business to East 8 Mile Road.
After that, I’m unsure what happened to the old service station. By the early 2000s, it was vacant, in tattered shape, and for sale. Given the small front lot, working on many cars simultaneously must have taken some fine-tuning.
The corner was already home to a few staples when the service station was built. Across Burns, Gratiot Avenue Presbyterian Church has stood since 1914. Kitty corner across Burns and Gratiot, Mark Twain Public Library was operational from 1940 until the mid-1990s. It would be demolished in 2011. Through the ups and downs that led to the library’s eventual demise, the rise and fall of Gratiot Avenue Presbyterian’s congregation population, and more cars populating and eventually abandoning Gratiot Avenue, this service station has stood at the corner.
The structure is currently owned by an LLC called Gratiot Beautification Team, which may be an arm of or affiliated with the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance. Given its current state and the fact that it’s constantly a dumping ground for garbage and tires, I’m not hopeful for any stabilization under the present ownership. I don’t know what could be done with such a tiny structure—but I’m confident, in the right hands, it could be something special.
Update: Demolition of this structure concluded in early February 2024.
