Grand Trunk Cold Storage is located in the heart of the Milwaukee Junction area in close proximity to the railway. Ghost signs on the south and north side of the building say Division of Beatrice Foods Co. North east loading dock areas were demolished in late 2006. This resulted in a partial collapse in the north east section of the building. The interior is similar to being in the midst of a wind tunnel with no lights. Long exposure times sans tripod negated the idea of taking photos inside the building. The first floor is mainly concrete columns’ and empty space. The view from the roof of the building and water tower were the most memorable… after the smell. This building was unpleasant to explore for this reason.
Distant traffic on the I-75 and banging of the large incinerator nearby are the only other audible sounds while inside. The east side has ample evidence of a major fire. A flock of large birds, maybe pheasant were startled by my approach.
Beatrice Foods Cold Storage Warehouse
Niel Gazel’s book “Beatrice: From Buildup Through Breakup (*1)” verified that Beatrice was likely responsible for building the cold storage site in Detroit now known as Grand Trunk Cold Storage. His book chronicles Beatrice Foods dairy research and expansion during the 1930’s. The same chapter also covers warehouse development as he explains “Cold-Storage warehouses were essential to Beatrice’s operation… warehouse operations grew hand in hand with with the dairy, egg and frozen food distribution business”.
A possible date for the Detroit warehouse is given with the quotes “Chicago Cold Storage, built during World War I… The general office was located in this building until 1944″ and “The company also had warehouses in Detroit and Scranton as well as the Soo Terminal in Chicago”. Beatrice’s Detroit Cold Storage facility was likely built between 1944 and 1952. Beatrice’s new cold storage warehouses were built in other states like Denver, Los Angeles and purchased existing facilities run by other operations.
(*1)
by Neil R. Gazel (Author), William G. Karnes (Designer), Beatrice: From Buildup Through Breakup (Hardcover), Publisher: Scholarly Book Services Inc (Jun 27 2002, ISBN-10: 0252017293, ISBN-13: 978-0252017292), p.24
A46-1 archive
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