9915 Kercheval Avenue
Ski’s Bar, William Chico’s Bar, Mary Chico Murder Site
I haven’t been able to figure out a ton about this structure; however, I’ll share what I’ve found so far. If you know anything else, I’d love to hear about it!
I believe that this building was constructed in the early 1920s. I’m not certain what for, but I’d assume there was a storefront on the main floor, perhaps a grocery or a bar, and an apartment or two upstairs. In 1960, there was a five-room apartment there.
In January 1938, the Mayor of Detroit was Richard Reading—his son. Richard W. Reading, Jr. was married to Mrs. Bertha Reading. However, Bertha planned to file for divorce. She told the judge that her husband was a drunk and, essentially, wasn’t worth a damn. Before the case went to court, she moved in with her cousin, Mrs. Mai Nichols, who lived in the upstairs apartment pictured here. The judge granted her wish for divorce.
In 1953, there may have been a bar on the main floor called Ski’s Bar. The address listed includes 9915-21 Kercheval, which is odd. I think that it was located here, though. The bar was fined $250 and faced a 30-day suspension for selling on a Sunday. Even as recently as 2010, it wasn’t legal to sell booze on a Sunday in Michigan before noon. Today, you can buy on Sundays starting at seven in the morning.
Most of this structure’s newspaper coverage started in July 1960. Before we get there, let’s back up a few years.
In 1958, a 52-year-old former factory worker, William Chico, purchased the bar. At some point previously, his wife had passed away, leaving him with three children, one son and two daughters, who, at the time, were 12, 18, and 19. Feeling the pressures of parenting the children alone, he was remarried quickly. Mary Chico was likely 45 when she met William, and she had three children, 18, 20, and 29 years old. They were married seven months after meeting.
In 1959, William found out that he had cancer. This isn’t mentioned in the piece; however, I’d suspect it was related to decades of working in Detroit’s factories. He had surgeries in Detroit and Chicago. It had spread, and doctors told him that he had weeks to live.
With the bad news, Chico began preparing his will. He wanted his estate divided among his wife and his three children. However, according to William in a suicide note-turned-evidence, Mary wanted it all and didn’t want to share any of the $30,000 inheritance with William’s children. He said he asked her one last time if she would be fair about things after his passing, and he claims she said no.
So, on the evening of July 19, 1960, William Chico murdered his wife, Mary Chico, in the apartment above the bar they owned. According to the Detroit Free Press, he used a 40-year-old double-barrelled 12-gauge shotgun. He planned to use the other shell on himself, but his cowardice wouldn’t let him pull the trigger. Afterward, he drank a fifth of whiskey. He claimed he had to kill her to protect his money for his children’s future.
The next day, he called a friend over, Arvid Friedlund, a detective at Conner Station, and confessed everything. He was taken to Receiving Hospital, where he was arrested and left to await trial for the murder charge. In January 1961, he died at the hospital, awaiting trial.
That’s the last record I’ve found about 9915 Kercheval online. The structure is listed as owned by one person, which is a breath of fresh air in a city where most of the commercial real estate is getting snapped up by investors and phony LLCs.
Despite looking lonely on that side of the street, there’s plenty of reason to be hopeful about this structure’s future. Across the street, a large commercial block has recently been renovated. Up Kercheval, there’s a massive, stunning, and recently redeveloped event venue called Epiphany Detroit inside a former parish house. A short walk down Kercheval to McClellan takes you to more recently renovated structures, a storefront, and a church. Plus, the building is less than a mile from the heart of West Village, which is continuing to expand.
Hopefully, considering its proximity to these things, this structure is a shoo-in for renovation!
