In an era before supermarkets, the Broadway Market was a culinary utopia. Featuring 72 independent food vendors under one roof, the market made it possible for shoppers to pick up everything they needed for their meals in one spot, or for lunching downtown office workers to grab a bite.

Plans were announced in March 1911 to build the market on the corner of East Grand River Avenue and Broadway. After securing department store magnate J.L. Hudson as an early investor, others came out of the woodwork to make pledges of their own. Nearly $400,000 for the venture was raised, about $13.2 million in 2025 valuation, when adjusted for inflation.

"The city has outgrown the Central Market on Cadillac Square," H.S. Warren of the H.S. Warren & Co., told the Detroit Times for a front-page story that was published March 16, 1911. "It is time that modern market facilities were provided for the needs of the population."

To build it, the Broadway Market Co. was incorporated May 5, 1911, with Warren its principal stockholder. Its first meeting was held three days later at the Cadillac Hotel, when the 100 stockholders elected nine board members: former Detroit Mayor Philip Breitmeyer as president; Thomas Glynn, vice president; Enoch Smith, treasurer; and Warren, secretary. Former Michigan Gov. and U.S. Sen. Russell A. Alger, Adolph Marx, Louis Loewenstein, Harry Helfman and William J. Reinke rounded out the board.

The following day, the nine directors met at the Cadillac to accept the long-term leases for the property for the market and approve plans by architect Harry C. Stevens - with the exception of increasing the height of the main floor’s ceiling from 15 to 20 feet, and to excavate under the sidewalks on Broadway and Grand River to allow for more shops below street level.

Stevens had set out on a tour of other American cities to glean ideas for the project. Broadway, despite being only a stone's throw from Woodward and the main shopping district, was not considered a commercial corridor at the turn of the 20th century. However, by 1910, that had changed, and "well-kept establishments have sprung up on every side," the Free Press noted Oct. 9, 1912. "The addition of the Broadway Market to this section is considered by all who are interested to be a great acquisition for the territory - a great stride forward in the commercial advancement of the section."

Ground was broken for the market on July 10, 1911, and by the following January, it was said to be ready for its terra cotta exterior. The market would take more than a year and a half to build, a fairly lengthy amount of time considering skyscrapers were going up in a year.

The building unofficially opened May 23, 1912, with a flower market held by the Detroit branch of the National Plant, Flower & Fruit Guild. The event was said to be the first of its kind held in the city, with cuttings, seedlings and small vegetable plants on offer for a penny to a quarter, or about 33 cents to $8.25 in 2025 money.

"Such garden celebrities as red and pink tulips and blue German iris, as well as Scotch pine, white pine, balsam, fir and Norway spruce" were also to be had, the Detroit Free Press wrote the morning of the sale. "Anyone who wishes to add to the picturesque in the garden can find the desired sprigs on sale."

And the event brought out everyone from "society women in limousines and electrics” to “women with shawls over their heads,” The Detroit Times reported May 24, 1912.

Bringing the market to market

The building’s formal opening was set for Oct. 3, 1912, however, trouble in finding enough workers to install all the counters and display cases forced the opening to be pushed back to Oct. 9.

Breitmeyer gave a brief speech before turning over the building to "the City and the housewives of Detroit," with Mayor William B. Thompson accepting the gift.

"I cannot think of any pleasanter or more profitable way for a woman to spend two or three mornings each week than in doing her own (shopping) in a clean, sanitary market like this and finding out for herself the quality and prices of food which appears on her table," Edith Watkins Dunk, president of the Housewives League, was quoted as saying in the Detroit Times on Oct. 10, 1912. during the opening festivities. "I know the men would like it, too, because the bills would be lower and the food better.”

After the speeches, the American flag and four banners reading “Broadway Market” were raised over the building at 4;30 p.m., and 15 minutes later, the electric lights were turned on. The market opened for regular business the next day.

A band played and the "merry tintinnabulation of about 100 cash register bells wafted much more welcome music to the tradesmen's ears."

At opening, there were 72 distinct shops in the market, from fish counters to flower shops to a barbershop. Their stalls were decorated with flowers for the opening. The poultry and meat shops were located north of the center aisle on the main floor and had large fridges built into their shop space. Each fridge was said to be large enough for 20 people to stand inside. At the south end of the main floor was a huge gas oven for a bakery.

Several mezzanine balconies were built above the main floor. The balcony in the northeast corner was reserved for the superintendent's office and switchboard operators.

A forced-air ventilation system "assures the market against any disagreeable odor."

In the northwest corner was a large balcony set aside for an assembling room for the delivery system. Packages were sorted there for delivery to areas across the city and suburbs.

"The management and the merchants are working together to make the Broadway Market the cleanest, and most economical, place in town in which to buy food," the Detroit Evening Times wrote Oct. 8, 1912.

Lots of innovations in store

Beyond being a shopping mecca, the Broadway Market featured a number of cutting-edge culinary technology.

More than 35,000 feet of pipe was used for the building’s refrigeration and water supply systems. It also had 50- and 25-ton compressors in the basement used to liquify carbonic acid gas that was used with chloride in pipes and radiators to produce refrigeration. This allowed temperatures to be kept below zero - "the cold is intense enough to crystallize the moisture of the air on the walls and radiators," the Free Press marveled Oct. 9, 1912. "When the electric lights, set in the ceiling, are lighted, these compartments take on the appearance of a diamond-encrusted room, as the frost on all sides reflects and refracts the rays with great brillancy."

The basement was a bit of a showstopper for the time, extending 20 feet under the sidewalks and was lit by day by 12,000 prism pavement skylights. This was to illuminate the 22 retail shops in the basement.

There was a private telephone system in the building, and all the merchants were listed under the same number and then connected to calling customers by an on-site operator. "Thus, the housewife will not have to keep in mind a different phone number for the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, but will get them all at the one exchange," the Free Press wrote Oct. 9, 1912. "It is confidently expected that this number will be a household word in a short time with Detroit women."

The floors throughout the building were finished in polished white marble terrazzo, being more sanitary than concrete and more durable than tile while invoking an atmosphere of cleanliness and hygiene. After all, this was just seven years after Upton Sinclair published "The Jungle," which exposed appalling conditions in the meat-packing industry.

"In the Broadway Market, spotless tesselated marble has replaced the old sawdust-covered floors and the wooden counters and shelves of grandmother's marketing days have given way to glass and marbelized repositories for meats, vegetables and delicatessen, all spick and span and typical of the modern era (of) sanitation," the Free Press wrote Oct. 10, 1912, proclaiming the market a “shoppers’ fairyland.”

One-stop shopping

Detroiters of all walks of life came to the market. Because shoppers frequently had to make the rounds to get various items for their meals - the bakery, down the street to the butcher, then on to the next stop to get their fruits and veggies - having so many vendors in one place was something we may take for granted today, but served as a revolution at the time.

"The fact that a large number of varied institutions are gathered under one roof is considered of great value," the Free Press wrote Oct. 9, 1912. "The shopper will be able, if she cares to visit the merchants personally, to do all of her buying for a meal without leaving the building. Many women prefer to do their shopping at the stores, rather than to order by telephone, but find the walking about from one store to another to be very fatiguing. This will in a large measure be obviated by having all the shops near each other.”

The Detroit Free Press wrote Oct. 10, 1912, that "the daintiest dressed woman may shop to her heart's content without soiling even the soles of her shoes."

Butcher W. Scott Kreger offered 16-cent legs of lamb, and Edward Neumann & Co. offered all 57 varieties of Heinz products. The L. Solomon Fish Co. offered clams for 18 cents a dozen and Mackinac trout for 15 cents.

The south end of the basement had a creamery company with electrically driven churns and offered fresh buttermilk, among other creamery products.

"Broadway as a shopping center has grown from an obscure street to one of the busiest centers in the city," the Free Press wrote Dec. 15, 1912. "Some of the shops located on Broadway can be classed as among the foremost business houses of Detroit and are a credit to any city. ... Since the advent of the new Broadway Market, this section of the city has taken an additional boom. The market is one of the most up-to-date institutions of its kind in the country and since its opening day, it has been a veritable hive of business activity."

But there was more to the market than just food stalls.

C&E Shoe Shop was on the second floor, as were Madame Butler’s Salon and the Movement Cure Institute massage parlor. The Germain Hotel Brokerage Co., which bought and sold hotel and restaurant real estate, was on the third. Drs. W.C Thompson and Everette A McCosh also were on the third floor. Architect Fred Swirsky - who designed the Cassell Hotel at 4434 Second Ave. in 1917, which is now known as the Blackstone Apartments, and a Greek church at Rivard Street and Kirby Avenue. He had served as an architect in Moscow before coming to Detroit. He shared a suite with Samuel and Alexander Agree, who ran a plumbing and heating contractor business.

There were also real estate firms, lawyers, the Coats Bros. jewelers and watchmakers, and the Century Cut Flower Co.

The Michigan Democratic state headquarters relocated into the building in September 1912, taking six rooms on the second floor of the Broadway Market. Breitmeyer, a former Republican mayor, let his adversaries move in, but forbade them from displaying a sign on the outside of the building. "If the Democratic committee is not satisfied with this policy, they need not take their rooms in the Broadway Market building," Warren, the secretary and manager of the Broadway Market Co., told the Detroit Evening Times for a Sept. 7, 1912, story.

The bottom drops out of the market

For decades, the Broadway Market continued to be a successful shopping destination for Detroiters. However, by the 1960s, the 72 shops had dropped to just 15, and many of the operators of those businesses were the grandsons, cousins, or nephews of the original shopkeepers. They were staying in business mostly out of legacy or duty to their families than because business was booming.

On Oct. 3, 1966, stockholders of the Broadway Market voted to sell the building to Allright Detroit Inc. in order for it to be torn down for a parking lot. The vote "amounted to a death sentence for the unique collection of specialty food stalls," The Detroit News reported Oct. 4, 1966.

Each share of stock got one vote, and the final tally was 11,354 to sell against 621 to reject the offer. But even that wide margin is a bit misleading, as 583.5 shares belonged to Mary Kregar, who voted no. Her late husband started a business selling buttermilk, sandwiches and juices in the Broadway Market the day it opened in 1912.

"The Broadway Market isn't just another building," Kregar said. "It's a way of life."

Leo Schmuck, an 82-year-old owner of five shares, voted to sell the building. He had been running a deli in the market from three months after the building opened. "Business is falling off," he told The News. "Nothing goes on forever."

The sale price was $525,000, or about $5.4 million in 2025, when adjusted for inflation.

Shareholder Leo Kuschinski, who had 30 shares in the market, attacked the sale, saying that Krohn should have tried to get more money for the building.

Harry M. Krohn, president of the Broadway Market Corp., told The News that the market was losing money because of a change in consumer shopping habits.

"I did what was in the best interests of the shareholders, many of whom are older people now who will need the money," Kohn told The News. "I did the best I could."

After the sale, Allright Detroit met with the merchants to work out a plan. Tenants of the market were given until Feb. 28, 1967, to move out.

"Nobody's going to be thrown out in the street," Krohn told the Free Press for a Sept. 29, 1966, article.

The Free Press paid a visit to the doomed landmark and followed Detroit attorney Andy Telek as he made his lunch rounds. He first stopped at Neumann's Delicatessen for a half-pint of baked beans and a slice of meat loaf wrapped in wax paper. Then, he carried his purchase over to one of the bakeries, where he bought an onion roll, before moseying over to the Fairmont Dairy Bar to get a half-pint of chocolate milk.

"It's the only place in town you can do this sort of thing," Telek said between bites. "I sort of hate to see it go."

May Hayes, who ran a cheese shop inside the market, told the Free Press that "you sort of get an empty feeling down inside. We're kind of hoping the merchants will get together and find a place to move. We're all like one big family, and we want to stay together."

"The old market on Broadway and Grand River has been remarkably unchanged by time," the Detroit Free Press eulogized in a Sept. 30, 1966, editorial. "There is the same tantalizing smell of fat kosher pickles, the mouth-watering anticipation, the temptation to let a belt buckle out just one more notch. ... "But the supermarket idea caught on. And the granddaddy of them all was left behind by spacious parking lots, planned merchandising and high-speed check-out counters."

"Before the wrecking ball starts knocking down the market, we make just one request," the Free Press Editorial Board pleaded. "Let the new owners try the market. They can't tear down a corned beef on onion roll like that. They can't tear down the kind of magic that makes a city."

But they did.

Demolition began April 15, 1967, a Saturday night. The work continued for several weeks during the night so as to not interfere with traffic.

"Our city planners must be looking forward to the day when Detroit's one great parking lot,” read a letter to the editor signed by N.F.D. that was published in the Oct. 2, 1966, edition. “They've ruined Grand Circus Park and Campus Martius, now it's the Broadway Market's turn. Detroiters are so worried about parking places that they're running out of places worth parking for."

Seven of the tenants - including Mary Kreger and Lefkofsky's Delicatessen - banded together and reopened in what was then-called the Phillips Building at 1346 Broadway on Oct. 9, 1967. Architect Sanford Rossen designed the new market, outfitting it in pink and bright orange. Frank A. Funk Co. Meats, A&R Fruit & Produce, International Gourmet Foods, Kreger's Drink Shoppe, Lefkofsky's Delicatessen, Mansfield Quality Sausage and Burrow's Bakery.

Meanwhile, the site of the Broadway Market would remain a parking lot for the next 36 years. Finally, ground was broken on Oct. 30, 2003, on a new YMCA to replace the one that had been demolished six years earlier to make way for Comerica Park.

This new “Y,” known as the Boll Family YMCA, was designed by the SmithGroup and dedicated on Sept. 8, 2005, though didn’t open to the public until that Dec. 5.