Abandoned Shelter of the Week

For many, the name Kercheval evokes images of an elegant, tree-lined street where shoppers named “Biff” and “Buffy” are all clad in madras shorts, busy setting up dates for golf and tennis. That’s in the Grosse Pointes, which don’t generally provide much fodder for the Abandoned Structure Squad. But unlike many a white suburbanite, Kercheval doesn’t stop at the Detroit border; the stretch of thoroughfare we explored this week was an ASS dream teeming with abandoned wrecks.

The structure we chose is a boarded-up storefront at 14721 Kercheval, across the street from a well-tended Christian Science reading room. The spray-painted message “Welcome to Compton” is an apt description of the depressed area, where a bar is the only other open establishment for blocks.

The bartender we interviewed couldn’t remember our building being used. We went looking for the owner, but the county’s Registrar of Deeds Web site provided little help, offering no names. We can report that the place has an assessed value of $8,750. And we’re fairly certain it’s been a while since anyone named Biff or Buffy popped in.

Text by editorial intern Domenique Osborne.
Photo by editorial intern Domenique Osborne.

Editor’s note: If you know of an abandoned home you would like to see featured in this spot, send a photo and pertinent information to News Hits, c/o Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48226 (or e-mail newshits@metrotimes.com).

Check out all of our Abandoned Shelters of the Week