9392 Mack Avenue
Detroit Provision Company Branch Market, Fred W. Herrmann’s Meat Market, Temple of God Church of God in Christ
Traveling down the section of Mack Avenue between Van Dyke and the Stelantis Complex is eye-opening. There is a ton of vacant land; however, numerous handsome structures still stand. This is one of those buildings which dates back to the 1910s.
I believe that this structure may have been built for the Detroit Provision Company. Their original location was at the corner of Mack and Seyburn, and by 1914, the company was operating a branch market at 1478 Mack Avenue, the original address for this structure before the city-wide change in 1921. According to ads in 1912, the Detroit Provision Company was ‘The Only Packing House on the East Side.’ That’s hard to believe, but they ran ads fairly frequently.
I believe that this structure was built in 1913. It may have been constructed by someone else who later rented to the meat company, but I can’t be certain. There was likely an apartment or two on the second floor.
By 1923, the structure was home to Fred W. Hermann’s Meat Market, now located at 9392 Mack Avenue, thanks to the city-wide change. He was a member of the Detroit Meat Council, a membership-based governing body. Later that year, an ad for Hermann’s shop promised ‘Better Meats, Cleaner Meats, Quicker Service.’ The first advert spelled his name with one r, and the second had two.
In 1930, realtor G. F. Bennett drew up a lease for the storefront. The tenants were Luezi Palagaggi, Luezi Captola, and John Barbert, who, according to the Detroit Free Press, “plan to open a market for foodstuffs there.”
After that, there’s a significant gap. I’d estimate that it continued to operate as a neighborhood shop of some variety until the 1960s. After that, it’s hard to say.
In 1989, Elder Henry M Marbly, the pastor, and Mrs. Gladys Winters, the church’s secretary, founded the Temple of God Church of God in Christ in Christ. They set up shop inside the former meat market and may have been the last tenant to utilize the space.
A 2003 article in the Detroit Free Press highlighted the parish and other small congregations on the east side. According to the piece, the area had at least 43 storefront churches. At the time, Anthony Byrd was the pastor at the Temple of God Church of God in Christ. He was married and had two sons and a daughter. He told the paper, “A church’s function is to reach out and provide services and guidance…you know, a hand up to those in need.”
The Deacon also commented on how easy it was to rent a storefront on the east side at the time. The cost was cheap, and the neighborhood had been abandoned by many of the larger churches, so local pastors were able to fill that void. Today, many of the structures that still stand on Mack Avenue owe many thanks to the churches that occupied them for decades.
By 2014, the church had moved its registered address away from the structure. I’d estimate it had abandoned the structure pictured here just before that.
Today, there’s a PREP Realty For Sale sign on the structure. On their site, they list that the building sold for $75,000. According to the listing, the upstairs has a two-bedroom apartment, and the building has a full basement. The parking lot fits 24 cars.
The Parcel Map lists Detroit Real Estate Value Fund II as its current owner; however, if it has recently sold or is under a land contract, that might not be accurate. The LLC’s registered agent is Andrew Colom, the Co-Founder and Senior Advisor at Century Partners.
This structure is incredibly handsome, so I hope we’ll see stabilization work here soon!
