History of Chene Ferry Market

The Chene Ferry Market, located in the once-booming Poletown East Chene Corridor, was an open-air market that served customers from the 1850s to 1990 when it closed down. The market was established in the same decade as the very popular Eastern Market of Detroit and was one of the last air markets to be constructed in Detroit. The Chene Ferry Market was a victim of the decline of Detroit and the neighborhood it stood in, which had long since hit its peak in the 1950s. After that, almost all businesses on the corridor fell to abandonment.

The building, after being abandoned as a market, was used as a recycling center open on a limited basis but ceased operations in 2006. Around the same time, many arson fires happened to the buildings in the area, including ones we have covered such as Max's Jewelry Store, Chene Liquor, and the Chene Ferry Market, all of which burned down within a two-year span. Between 2011 and 2013, the Chene Ferry Market was hit the most, suffering multiple fires just to the building itself.

Today, the building has little roof left from the fire damage, and the building is wide open to walk with no walls left to keep out the elements. In the same decade, two warehouses close to Chene Corridor also had their share of arson. Hoban's Cold Storage and Grand Trunk Warehouse both suffered major fires in 2012 and 2005, respectively. The arsonist around the area at this time was thought to have committed most of the fires due to how close together they happened.

The Chene Ferry Market is the most notable fire of the spree of fires of the early 2010s.