USA > Michigan > Wayne County > Detroit > The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701-1922, Vol. I > Part 52
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By 1820 practically all of the Detroit trade was in the hands of Americans. Among the leading merchants of that time were: James Abbott, who was the agent of the American Fur Company and postmaster, William Brewster, Abram C. Caniff, M. Chapin & Company, Levi Cook, Abraham Edwards, Henry J. Hunt, DeGarmo Jones, Benjamin B. Kercheval, Mack & Conant, Palmer Broth- ers, a firm composed of Thomas and Friend Palmer, O. Penniman, Tunis S. Wendell & Company, John L. Whiting, and John R. Williams. All of these early
YATES CLOTHINGS
CICHPNGSTORE SCOTCH STORE
ORY GOODS."
NORTHEAST CORNER WOODWARD AND JEFFERSON AVENUES IN FEBRUARY, 1858
OR'S
PRESCRIPTIONS
SELECTED MATERIALS
WOODWARD AVENUE FROM GRAND RIVER TO CLIFFORD, 1876
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merchants were men of character and integrity, and took a commendable interest in the affairs of the municipality. James Abbott, Abraham Edwards, Henry J. Hunt, DeGarmo Jones, Stephen Mack, and John R. Williams were among the organizers of the Bank of Michigan in 1818; Dr. Marshall Chapin, Levi Cook, Henry J. Hunt, DeGarmo Jones, and John R. Williams all served as mayor of Detroit, and Thomas W. Palmer, a son of Thomas Palmer, represented Michigan in the United States Senate and was minister to Spain.
Prior to 1826, goods bought in New York were sent up the Hudson River in boats to Albany, where they were transferred to wagons for the trip to Buffalo. At Buffalo they were again loaded on boats bound for Detroit. The completion of the Erie Canal in 1825 obviated the long haul across the state of New York in wagons and this gave the Detroit trade a new impetus.
There was at that time no wholesale trade worthy of mention. Most of the retail stores were then located on Jefferson Avenue or at the foot of the streets running to the river. Currency was scarce and many small debts, wages of em- ployes, etc., were often paid in orders on the stores. Farmers would drive in for miles, their wagons loaded with produce, which was gladly accepted by the mer- chants in exchange for goods.
In 1828 Jacob S. Farrand, afterward the head of the wholesale house of Far- rand, Williams & Company, became a clerk in the drug store of Rice & Bingham. Much of the business was then done on credit and Mr. Farrand enjoyed relating Levi Cook's method of collecting outstanding accounts. When the time came for him to make his annual trip to New York to buy goods, he would make out bills against his customers who were in arrears and place them in the hands of a trustworthy clerk, with instructions to " sue every mother's son of them if neces- sary while I am away." A trip to New York was then a matter of several weeks. If the clerk followed instructions, most of the accounts would be collected, or at least compromised, during Mr. Cook's absence. Upon his return he would find many irate customers, but he would apologize for the clerk, call attention to the fine line of new goods he had added to his stock, and the people would soon forget the humiliation of a lawsuit in the pleasure of examining and buying the new goods.
THE WHOLESALE TRADE
Between the years 1820 and 1830, a few of the larger Detroit merchants ac- commodated country dealers by selling them small quantities of goods occasion- ally, and from this modest beginning a wholesale trade gradually developed. One of the oldest wholesale firms, that of Hinchman & Sons, began business in 1819, under the firm name of M. Chapin & Company, Dr. Marshall Chapin and Hiram Pratt being the partners. In 1829 John Owen acquired Mr. Pratt's interest and the firm became Chapin & Owen. In 1842 Theodore H. Hinchman, who had been in the employ of the house for several years, came in as a partner and in 1853 the firm of Owen & Company was succeeded by T. H. & J. Hinchman. This old house, after several more changes in its personnel, is still in existence in 1921 under the name of Williams, Davis, Brooks & Hinchman Sons. During its century of existence it has sold millions of dollars' worth of goods in Michigan, Northern Ohio and Indiana, and even to merchants in more distant territory.
Almost contemporary with M. Chapin & Company, O. Penniman began sell- ing drugs and groceries in Detroit. A little later Dr. Justin Rice purchased an interest and after about two years became sole proprietor. Then Edward Bing-
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ham brought some new capital to the business, the stock of goods was enlarged and the firm of Rice & Bingham was formed. Doctor Rice retired in the spring of 1830 and in May, 1836, Jacob S. Farrand, who had entered the store as a clerk in 1828, acquired a partnership, the firm becoming E. Bingham & Company. The store was destroyed by the big fire of January 1, 1842, but the business was reestablished by Mr. Farrand. William W. Wheaton became a partner in 1856, when the firm of Farrand & Wheaton was formed. Mr. Wheaton retired on January 1, 1858, and a few weeks later Alanson Sheley took his place, the firm then adopting the name of Farrand & Sheley. William C. Williams entered the firm as a partner in 1861. Ile had been with the house since boyhood and upon his becoming a partner the firm name was altered to Farrand, Sheley & Company. Harvey Clark, also an old employe, was admitted to partnership in 1871, and four years later James C. Davis became a partner, the firm then taking the name of Farrand, Williams & Company. For one hundred years this house has been one of the wholesale landmarks of Detroit. Since the reorganization of the busi- ness by Mr. Farrand, no groceries have been handled, the firm devoting its entire attention to drugs.
About 1832 Zachariah Chandler (familiarly called "Zach") came to Detroit and opened a drygoods store in the brick addition to the old brick residence erected by General Hull in 1806, on the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Randolph Street. Soon afterward he embarked in the jobbing trade in a small way. Mr. Chandler was one of the youngest merchants in the city. He was also one of the first traveling salesmen, making his trips on horseback to solicit orders, and his customers would employ teamsters to transport their goods. A little later the firm of Chandler & Dwight was formed and occupied the building on the corner of Jefferson and Woodward Avenues. Here Mr. Chandler laid one of the first sidewalks in the city. When Mr. Chandler was elected to the United States Senate in 1857 his firm was succeeded by Allan Sheldon & Company. This house retired from business at the close of the year 1890, after a successful career of fifty-seven years.
The heavy tide of immigration to Michigan between the years 1830 and 1840 increased the demand for goods and a number of new wholesale merchants en- tered the field. Among the concerns that began business in Detroit in this period were: The grocery house of John J. Garrison (afterward Garrison & Depew), which was established in 1829; the hardware house of Alexander W. Newbould (later Buhl & Son), 1835; Moore, Foote & Company, wholesale grocers, 1838; T. B. Clarke, wholesale grocer, and the drug house of Theodore H. Eaton & Son, 1838.
The rapid growth in population led to an era of speculation, especially in real estate. This boom was rudely checked by the financial panie of 1837, which resulted in many failures all over the country. After the depression real estate values were greatly depreciated and business of all kinds was adjusted upon a firmer foundation. Between that time and the close of the Civil war in 1865, more than a score of wholesale houses were established in Detroit. In the gro- cery line, Johnson & Wheeler began business in 1845; Thomas A. Parker, 1846; John Stephens & Company, and L. W. Tinker & Company, 1849; Fitzsimons & Company, 1852; Phelps Brothers, 1856; Joseph B. H. Bratshaw and C. W. Inslee & Company, 1863; Gould & Fellers, 1864, and William and Robert Millar, 1865.
Other wholesale houses opened during this period included the queensware business of Robert W. King, which was started in 1848; the hardware house of
FURNITURE
DRAPERIES
EAST SIDE OF WASHINGTON AVENUE BETWEEN PARK AND CLIFFORD
Taken October 24, 1897. The lots were purchased in 1860 by Moses F. Dickinson and the houses were probably built about that time.
ICE CP'
EST¢
OLD ABBOTT HOMESTEAD, SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GRISWOLD AND FORT Built in 1835; torn down in 1881. Now site of the Hammond Building
.
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C. B. James & Company, Freedman Brothers, millinery, and Richmond & Backus, wholesale paper dealers, 1850; Heineman & Butzel, clothing, 1852; Schloss Brothers, in the same line, 1854; the Detroit Paper Company, 1854; Hoffman & Mayes and Dunlap, Donaldson & Company, ship chandlers, 1856; Charles Root & Company, dry goods, 1860; Ducharme, Prentiss & Company, hardware, 1863; M. C. Higgins, fancy goods and notions, 1864; the crockery business of Fiske & Jenness and the boot and shoe house of W. D. Robinson & Company, 1865.
During the quarter of a century following the Civil war, the jobbing trade of Detroit enjoyed an era of uninterrupted prosperity, except for a few years immediately after the panic of 1873. Commenting upon the general trade con- ditions, the "Detroit Tribune" of January 15, 1891, stated:
"A tour of the jobbing houses of Detroit, and an inquiry into their history, give at once the impression that they are eminently sound and prosperous. Many of them are of long standing, houses that have grown with the growth of the city and state, have made one generation of proprietors rich and are contributing materially to the wealth of a second and third. Their credit is good, their man- ner of dealing is honorable and their reputation in every way first class. Their trade extends all over Michigan and considerable portions of Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin, and even of states farther west. Their sales aggregate many millions yearly and the quantity of goods they handle would surprise anyone who has not visited their warehouses or seen the immense shipments by lake and rail. And yet the trade of the city has not, on one account, grown as rapidly as it ought. The merchants of Detroit, though enterprising and active in their own branches of business, have not given the same encouragement to railroad enterprises that the solid men of some other cities have, nor looked as sharply as might be after new railroad connections, and the merchants of Chicago and Toledo have not been slow to take advantage of this, and to divert a portion of the trade which would naturally have sought this city."
The neglect of Detroit business men regarding transportation facilities mentioned by the "Tribune" has been corrected in a great measure, and the wholesale trade of the city has been correspondingly expanded. When Chandler & Dwight announced that their sales for 1850 reached $50,000, it was considered a wonderful achievement and many thought the zenith of Detroit as a jobbing center had been reached. Now there are close to five hundred wholesale houses in the city, having annual sales of many millions of dollars.
RETAIL TRADE
During the first quarter of the nineteenth century, the streets such as lower Woodward, Woodbridge and Atwater were busy trade centers and the amount of trading done was large for the size of the town.
In 1819 there were twenty-four retail dry goods and grocery stores, and six- teen which were classed as "grocery and provision stores and ale houses." Among the merchants at this time appear the familiar names of Henry J. Hunt, Mack & Conant, John L. Whiting, J. and A. Wendell, DeGarmo Jones, Oliver Newberry, and John R. Williams. Business slowly crept up Woodward Avenue, and after the rush in immigration reached its peak in 1836 all available Jefferson Avenue fronts were occupied as stores. Among the prominent retailers who were pioneers on lower Woodward Avenue were Zachariah Chandler, dry goods, and Henry P. Baldwin, boots and shoes. Mr. Chandler afterwards became the
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largest wholesale dry goods dealer in the city and Governor Baldwin continued business as a manufacturer and jobber.
In 1852-53, according to the city directory published at that time, the population of Detroit was 26,64S. There were in the city seven stone build- ings, 601 brick buildings, and 4,077 of wood. The retail business of the city was summarized by the following table of establishments: grocery, provision and liquor stores, 286; boot and shoe stores, fifty-four; warehouses, thirty; bakeries, thirteen; blacksmiths, thirty-seven; harness and saddlery shops, nine; steam flour mills, two; pork and sausage stores, six; clothing stores, fifteen; cabinet shops, seven; jewelers and watch makers, fourteen; hat, cap and fur stores, four; dry goods stores, twenty-nine; auction and commission stores, five; leather stores, four ; confectionery and toy stores, nine; drug stores, thirteen; hardware stores, sixteen; and variety stores, three.
EARLY MARKETS
In the Detroit City Directory written by Julius P. Bolivar Maccabe in 1837 and printed by William Harsha of Detroit, the following is stated:
"There are three markets-the city market, on the first floor of the City Hall, the Berthelet at the corner of Randolph and Woodbridge streets, and the Washington Market at the corner of Wayne and Larned streets. These are kept in good order by the inspector of provisions, and well supplied with every- thing that can be desired at similar places. There is a great variety of vege- tables, and also of fish, of which there are an abundance in the river of a most delicious flavor, and wild fowls, geese, ducks, brant, etc., abound in the neigh- borhood. Pork and mutton in great plenty, equal in quality to any in the Eastern states. Venison, veal, poultry, including turkies, wild and tame, rab- bits, squirrels, etc., are common; in fine, although not quite equal to that of Philadelphia, it contains all the necessaries and many of the luxuries of a good market."
The first attention given to a market was on March 20, 1802, when the trustees of the village passed an ordinance that the market should "be without the pickets and next to the river, between the old bake-house and the east line of pickets." Tuesdays and Fridays, from daylight to noon, were set apart as market days. At one time no less a person than James May was fined for selling diseased beef at this market. No further record of markets is found until 1816, when a building was started by B. Woodworth and completed the following year and was located in the center of Woodward Avenue just below Jefferson; this building was 30 by 70 feet, one story in height, and was known as the Woodward Avenue Market. It was demolished in 1835.
On August 5, 1825, Peter Berthelet was given wharf rights at the foot of Randolph Street on consideration that he give the city a lot, 50 by 90 feet, at the northwest corner of Atwater and Randolph streets, upon which to erect a market. Further negotiations resulted in Berthelet constructing a building for market purposes, and which was purchased by the city August 31, 1834. Subsequently, the city met difficulties because the lot had not been deeded, but the building was used as a market until it burned in the fire of May 9, 1848.
The vegetable market in the rear of the old city hall was completed in November, 1843. The entire market occupied the central part of Cadillac Square from the Campus Martius to Randolph Street. The front portion, including the city hall, was taken down and removed in the fall of 1872. The
OLD MARKET ON CADILLAC SQUARE Central Market Building and County Building in the Background
BROADWAY MARKET
BROADWAY MARKET
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other part was not burned, as has been stated, but was also removed. The iron shed was taken to Belle Isle and is now the shelter at the head of the island. The larger vegetable market, extending from Bates to Randolph Street, was built in 1860. Several attempts to finance the construction of a more pre- tentious market building fell through, until finally on April 22, 1879, the city council requested the board of estimates to consider an appropriation of $50,000 for a central market building. This movement went along successfully and on August 23, 1880, the contractors turned over the completed building to the city, and it was opened for business on September 11th.
The Washington Market was located on the northeast corner of Larned and Wayne streets, and was erected by order of the council in 1835. It was not a success as a market, however, and after years of service for school, fire depart- ment and private purposes, was torn down in 1870.
The Cass Market, a one-story brick, 30 by 40 feet, on the south side of Adams Avenue at its intersection with Grand River Avenue, was first opened as a market August 17, 1866, but was never a success and has now disappeared. The G. A. R. memorial hall occupies this site now.
In the Detroit of the present day the needs of a public market, wherein farmers and growers market their produce during the season, is supplied by the Eastern and Western Markets, located respectively on Gratiot and Michigan avenues. Others, such as the Broadway Market, at the corner of Broadway and Gratiot, are large retail marketing centers devoted to the sale of every kind of food commodity.
RETAIL PROGRESS IN THE '70s
In the early '70s retail business had moved up Woodward Avenue as far as the Campus Martius and for some time had stopped there. One of the most showy stores on the avenue was M. S. Smith's jewelry store, northwest corner of Woodward and Jefferson. The Merrill Block extended halfway across the block on the east side of Woodward, north of Jefferson. Frederick Stearn's drug store and laboratory was built on the southwest corner of Woodward and Larned. Stephen Smith's shoe store was on the northwest corner. Into the Stephen Smith building Tom Swan moved from his Griswold Street "cobweb corner" some time later and opened the most pretentious restaurant in town. St. Andrew's Hall, built for a Methodist church, and which was the scene of many festivities as well as dramatic and literary events, was where the Siegel Store now stands. Many were the regrets when the old hall was removed to give place to business.
The Finney House was on the southeast corner of Woodward and Gratiot, and Alanson Sheley, who for many years lived in the next block north, had, with other old residents, recently moved up town. Sheley's old home was moved to Stimson Place, a short distance east of Cass Avenue, and is there now. The Finney Hotel Barn was where the Chamber of Commerce Building, now Detroit Savings Bank, is located. The third building of the First Presbyterian Church or, strictly speaking, the First Protestant Society, was at the northwest corner of Farmer and Gratiot. When Joseph L. Hudson bought that property, years afterward, some people predicted his failure because he was exchanging a place on the avenue for a remote and obscure corner.
J. W. Week's & Company's city directory for 1873 contains the names of a few firms that are still in existence, and of many others that were familiar
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down to recent times. H. D. Edwards & Company and G. & R. McMillan occupied the same sites then that they do now. Newcomb & Endicott were in the Opera House Block and have made only one removal since. Wright, Kay & Company were in the Coyl Block, next to the Opera House. Richard H. Fyfe was at 101 Woodward. A. Krolik & Company were at 158 Woodward, but afterward went over to Jefferson. Traub Brothers were at 212, and Louis Black, optician, was at 194 Woodward.
Christopher R. Mabley had the biggest store in Detroit, adjoining the Russell House. The site of the Majestic Building, to which he afterward moved, was then occupied in part by the little frame building which for a generation housed Farnsworth's shoe store. The Majestic Building was not finished until after Christopher R. Mabley's death. This building was to have been called the "Mabley Building," but was changed to "Majestic." Just beyond this was the Weber Building, which is still standing, the first five-story building constructed north of the Campus Martius. This ambitious structure seems to have been ahead of its time, for the furniture business of Henry Weber therein located became encumbered financially, and the building itself did not make a good return on the investment for some years. Two other business failures, those of James W. Frisbie and Company, dry goods, and Freedman Brothers, dry goods and millinery, also occurred in this building.
Woodward Avenue was well lined with dry goods stores. They included James W. Frisbie, Burns & Smith, C. K. Gunn and C. H. Locke, (Gunn & Locke), Colin Campbell & Sons who conducted the "Scotch Store," Linn & Stansbury, James Lowrie & Sons, James Nall, Jr. & Company, George Peck & Company, and S. Simon & Company. Abbott & Ketchum specialized in carpets, and Freedman Brothers, 147-151 Woodward, carried millinery as one of their chief lines. The predecessor of all one-price stores was Hiram Gay's "dollar store" at 94 Woodward.
Among grocers loomed Hull Brothers' big store on the Campus, next to the Opera House, while John Blessed of the firm of Blessed & Campbell, and J. S. · Smith & Company had ventured far afield, both having gone above the Grand Circus. The principal retail hardware dealers were M. Limbach, William A. Morhaus, and Fisher & Stoddard. The Singer, Weed, Wilson, Domestic, and Wheeler & Wilson sewing machine companies were all represented on the avenue, and the following are a few of the well known names in other lines: W. G. Pen- field, agricultural warehouse; Elliott Brothers, Richard R. and James R., mer- chant tailors; Tunis and Parker, J. M. Arnold, books, and E. B. Smith & Com- pany, books: John P. Weiss, pianos; Frederick Wetmore, glassware; A. W. Copland, baker, under the Russell House; Edward Orr, auctioneer; Walter Buhl & Company, hats, and James S. Conklin, jeweler. Small grocery, notion and general stores had extended out Gratiot and Michigan avenues, but the great central district that is now given over to trade was then almost entirely in residence.
The tremendous growth of the retail trade of Detroit during the last five decades requires little comment. The pretentious store of yesterday would be insignificant beside the immense retail business corporations of 1921. Values in downtown properties have risen to great heights, as shown by the subsequent account of the development of prominent sites.
A noteworthy example of the striking increase of value in business property is that of the site of the David Whitney Building. This site originally com-
DAVID WHITNEY BUILDING
SITE OF THE DAVID WHITNEY BUILDING, CORNER OF WOODWARD AND PARK, 1881 The houses shown were built by H. H. Leroy
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prised three lots, adjoining what was then considered a country road, when Henry H. LeRoy, a building contractor, purchased one of them (Lot 22) from Mrs. Eustache Chapoton for $1,000 about a century ago. LeRoy later acquired the other two lots and three frame buildings were erected on the corner. These buildings were there in 1885, when David Whitney, Jr. purchased the land for $90,000, then thought to be an enormous price for the corner. Mr. Whitney erected an eight-story office building and for some time this ranged as one of the city's finest office structures. It was demolished in 1915 to give place to the skyscraper now known as the David Whitney Building, and occupied in greater part by the medical profession. In the intervening years the value of the land has enhanced until it is now assessed at more than $1,150,000, exclusive of the building, which is valued at another million.
On the same side of Woodward Avenue and only two blocks south of the David Whitney Building is another piece of property, the possession of which would have created a fortune in the last one hundred years. Originally de- scribed as lot No. 33 of section No. S of the governor and judges' plan, this property, with a frontage of sixty feet on the west side of Woodward and one hundred feet on the south side of Grand River Avenue, was sold in 1823 by the governor and judges to Judge John L. Leib for about $1.50 a foot front. In 1834 it was purchased by John B. Piquette for $300. Mr. Piquette occupied part of it with his jewelry shop for several years. In 1859 the corner was pur- chased from Edward Shepherd by Alexander Chapoton, building contractor, for $12,000. The frame building that had been constructed on the corner in 1849 was removed by Chapoton in 1867 to another location and the four-story brick building now on the corner was erected. In 1917 the heirs of the Chapoton estate, through Homer Warren, sold the corner to Edward J. Hickey, clothier, at a valuation of $20,000 a front foot, or $1,200,000.
On West Grand Circus Park is another lot, with a frontage of 105 feet on the west side of Woodward Avenue and 48 feet on the north side of West Adams Avenue, now occupied by the twelve-story Fyfe Building. This lot formed part of a tract of five acres which Dr. William Brown, a retired physician, purchased from the governor and judges in 1812. In 1827 Doctor Brown offered to sell the five acres to the city for $800, proposing that it be used as a cemetery, replacing one at Woodward and Larned. The aldermen rejected the offer. In 1834 a syndicate of ten prominent business men acquired fifteen acres, including three acres of Doctor Brown's holdings, and a year later sub- divided the tract, which had cost them $6,000. The corner lot, on which the Fyfe Building stands, was sold to Cullen Brown for $50. In 1842 it was trans- ferred to Robert Stuart, and in 1850 was purchased in bankruptcy proceedings by John Humphreys for $500. A frame hotel was built on the corner and after the destruction of this building by fire in 1865, a two-story frame house was built there. This house was later occupied by the Bates Restaurant for several years. Mr. Richard H. Fyfe bought the corner in 1892 for $60,000 and about a year later sold his business partner, Mark B. Stevens, a one-third interest for $20,000. The corner lot now is worth close to $1,000,000.
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