A Building With Many Lives - The History of the John K. King Books Building & the Land It Sits On

We’re lucky to call this old factory home, but it didn’t always smell like old books.

A lot of people are curious about what the building housing Mr. King's collection used to be. Well, eleven years ago, a local historian answered just that question on his outstanding blog, Corktown History, taking us on a deep dive into our building’s past, and it’s still one of the best pieces ever written about the place.

Lafayette Blvd looking Southwest showing the Detroit river and Canada in distance.

Local historian Paul Szewczyk traced the story of the land beneath our feet all the way back to Detroit’s original ribbon farms, long before there was a bookstore (or even a street grid.) From early farmland, to garment factory, to hat maker, to industrial glove manufacturer, the building has worn many hats (literally), with its last tenant, Advance Glove, closing in 1981.

Szewczyk’s article digs into the transformation of the neighborhood too, including a vanished sanatorium and the re-routing of 4th Street to make way for the Lodge Freeway. It’s a piece of Detroit history that rarely gets told, complete with rare photos and remarkable detail.

The building on Lafayette was moved on logs to make way for the Lodge Freeway.

We’re grateful to Paul Szewczyk for preserving these layers of the city’s past.

You can read the full article (and many more interesting pieces) on Corktown History.