It’s a surprise that Uncle Tiny’s Soul Food at 10220 Mack Ave., on Detroit’s East Side, didn’t stay in business with such a prime location. After all, it occupied a fire-engine red brick box located between an empty field and the long-abandoned Silver Leaf Bar. Perhaps the mural on the side of the building depicting the silhouette of a fisherman led people to believe it was a bait shop. A peek between the bars protecting the broken windows reveals piles of boxes and randomly placed refrigerators, but no poles or lures. The restaurant’s front door is barricaded by black gates that also protect signs advertising penny candy and 99-cent chili dogs. The building, constructed in 1924, was occupied as recently as February 2002, according to the good folks at the city’s Buildings and Safety Engineering Department. The department’s Tony Bommarito tells ASS (that’s Abandoned Structure Squad) that the building that once housed Uncle Tiny’s is a candidate for the Department of Administrative Hearings, which was established in January with hopes of cracking down on derelict properties like this.
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 [email protected]).
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