Commercial Building 58 Monroe, Detroit Michigan
The structure is a four-story (plus basement) commercial building constructed in brick masonry in 1852. It measures 20' in width and 100' deep on the first three stories, but only about 75' deep on the fourth story. Its design is similar to the building at 52-54 Monroe. The feneatratlon on the second through fourth stories consists of three rectangular, one-over-one windows per story. Each window has a cast-iron sill and a lintel featuring urn and scroll motifs. The widely-overhanging cornice, its brackets, and cornice ornamentation were removed in 1958 (City of Detroit Building Permit No. 14961).
Hiram R. Johnson (1825-1894), a prominent Detroit businessman, bought the real estate where this building stands in 1852 and erected a series of commercial buildings known as the Johnson Block. The architect is unknown. The first floor commercial space has typically had only one tenant. Francis Petz & Company, Jewelers, occupied this space from at least 1888 through 1907, followed by the Pittsburgh Dairy Lunch (1908-1920), several clothing stores from 1921 through 1932, and a pawnbroker for the rest of the 1930s. Several jewelry stores used the first floor in the 1950s and 1960s. The upper floor tenants cannot be identified.
DETAIL, FIRST FLOOR AND SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS, NORTHWEST FRONT 1989
VIEW NORTHWEST. REAR OF BUILDING 1989
