Hoban Cold Storage
Hoban Cold Storage is a complex of multi-story warehouses located in Detroit's industrial east-side corridor. The original tenant was John J. Bagley & Co Tobacco, who used the six story warehouse and some of the two story warehouses for storage purposes. Bagley had founded his tobacco company in 1853, which was inherited by his sons and moved to Warren Avenue as the business grew.
At some point the tobacco company left, and the warehouses were converted over for use by the General Cold Storage & Warehouse Company. The six-story warehouse was insulated for use as refrigerated food storage, another warehouse was constructed, and a shipping dock was added.
Hoban & Company was formed in 1940, and moved to the Warren Avenue warehouse in 1942. Hoban continued to use the warehouse until the company went out of business in 2007 and the building was vacated.
Since closing, the buildings have fallen into disrepair. The wood timber roofs over the liquor storage warehouses and the food packaging plant have collapsed. A fire in the summer of 2012 damaged the shipping dock, taking several hours to put out.
