History of Hoban Cold Storage

Originally, John J. Bagley and Co., a tobacco company, used the warehouse for storage. Detroit, MI, was one of the biggest production cities of cigars in the US, and the company was one of the biggest producers in the city. In 1922, the company was sold to Tobacco Products Corp. Until the late '30s or early '40s, the warehouse was used by the original tobacco company. Then it was sold to N.P.V. Big Four Beverage, Inc. Three years later, the new company at the time was "Hoban and Company," which had another location before moving into the 6-story warehouse. The original location of Hoban and Company was at 368 High St., later named East Venor Hwy. The section of East Venor Hwy where Hoban's original warehouse was located was part of the plan to "remove blight from urban cities" and become the interstate system by removing whole neighborhoods in favor of highways. The location was razed to build the major freeway today, I-75. The current building was converted and built onto when Hoban and Company took over in 1942. Smaller warehouses were built onto the property, and cold storage rooms were added. The building was used by multiple original tenants until 1963, then Hoban and Company was the last remaining company that owned the building. The president of the now-named Hoban Foods, Don Vantiem, served from April 1982 until the closing of the cold storage and warehouse in December 2007. Don still has an active LinkedIn profile. After closing in 2007 and vacating the building by January 2008, the building became a major health hazard and unsanitary place. By March 2010, the basement level had its massive refrigerant unit leak coolant, making the place reek of a horrible chemical smell. The bricks had begun to collapse over the years, and the building from the inside is in a state of disrepair that is hard to miss from the pictures. Additionally, the place is full of bugs flying in the open air and on the ground, so if you decide to venture inside, bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty. The dirt on the ground shown in the open warehouse shot was so thick that you would kick up dirt as you walked. Also, both staircases are in horrible shape on the first floor, and a fire in 2012 damaged the shipping dock, taking several hours to put out. Since then, the liquor storage warehouse and the food packaging plant inside the facility have collapsed and been demolished for the most part by the new owner of the building, who hasn't done much with the property but has it for sale.