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Schroeder Paint and Glass

The Schroeder Paint and Glass Co. was founded in 1897 by John Schroeder, a lifelong Detroit businessman. His first location was a retail store on East Congress and Cadillac Street which sold paint, glass, oils, varnishes, brushes, and painters' supplies. By 1905, the Schroeder name was well-known throughout the city and sate, and the company had set up a wholesale warehouse for glass products on Wayne and Woodbridge streets. Among its early projects were the Ford Building, the Hotel Ponchitrain, and many of Detroit's residences. John Schroeder led the company until his death in May of 1914.

A new, larger warehouse was built outside of downtown on the corner of Antoinette and 12th Street in 1923. The lower floors were used for storing paint and glass products, with glass grinding machinery on the upper floors. Loading docks and a garage were located next to the building, and a smaller retail outlet still stands today on the corner.

In 1967 the factory on 12th was bought by the Cavaler Spring Company (later Cavaler Wire Products), which made springs for box mattresses and other products. Two generations of Cavalers owned the plant until 2000, when when the city foreclosed on the property.

Fire destroyed most of the garage and loading docks sometime in 2005-2006. Like other former industrial locations in the city, the Schroeder plant was used as a dumping ground for tires, chemicals, and discarded furniture.

In June of 2013, it was announced that a large parcel of land on which the Schroeder factory sits was going to be cleared to make way for a 275,000 square foot medical supply warehouse. Demolition of the old factory began in May of 2014, and construction on the warehouse began later that summer.