- Louis Kemper, 1930
Built by John H. Schaefer on the site of his family’s farm and roadside tavern, this namesake shopping center may be the largest commercial block on Michigan Avenue between Detroit and Chicago. The 33,000-square-foot Art Deco landmark opened in 1930.
John H. Schaefer was born December 16, 1866, in Springwells Township, Michigan. He attended the one-room Miller School with Henry Ford and maintained a friendship with Ford throughout his life. In 1891, Schaefer assumed management of his father’s pioneer tavern at the northeast corner of Schaefer Road and Michigan Avenue. The Six Mile House – so named for its distance from downtown Detroit – had opened in 1864 as a stop for travelers heading west. Schaefer operated the inn until 1918, when it succumbed to Prohibition.
Soon, however, Schaefer was running a business that made him wealthy: the Schaefer Box Lunch Company. He pioneered a box lunch service to Ford’s Rouge Factory employees, and reportedly served over 100,000 men daily in 15 minutes. He spent at least $300,000 of this fortune erecting this Art Deco tribute to his family’s influence on Dearborn.
The Schaefer Building’s construction was called a “climax in the spectacular development of Dearborn” by the Detroit Free Press in 1930. It was designed by Detroit’s Louis Kemper and erected by contractors Burnett & Henige. “The exterior of the building has a granite base with color and design carried out in panels and ornaments after the Egyptian manner,” Al Henige noted. “Shades of green and orange are blended into the terra cotta exterior, which produces one of the most artistic effects achieved in modern office building architecture.”
Materials were supplied by notable period dealers. Detroit’s Acme Roofing Company completed sheet metal trim. The Hurd Lumber Co. furnished interior trim of “Gothic oak.” Dearborn’s George Maschke Company supplied signature hardware of “dull nickel chromium., the most modern type.” Mechanical systems were furnished by Detroit’s Freyen Brothers, and electrical work was completed by the John H. Busby Co.
The Schaefer building continues to serve as a landmark commercial block of Dearborn’s East Downtown district. It has retained its original granite and terra cotta exterior through numerous renovations and restorations.
Historic photo courtesy the Dearborn Historical Museum.
