Famed Chung's restaurant building in Midtown Detroit sold, food operation intended

The building that once housed the famed, popular Chung's restaurant in Midtown has been sold and will be renovated with the goal of housing another Asian-inspired eatery.

It's been more than two decades since Chung's has been open.

Since it closed in 2000, the building with its pagoda-style awning has largely stood vacant at 3175 Cass Ave. at Peterboro Street. The building runs along the Peterboro side as well as a front on Cass Avenue.

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American Community Developers (ACD), based in Harper Woods, bought the building, closing on it Wednesday for an undisclosed price. The main focus of ACD is on affordable and mixed income properties, though they are not strangers to commercial.

This long-standing building had a $1.5 million price, according to a listing with Detroit-based O'Connor Real Estate, which also handled Wednesday's sale.

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Mike Essian, vice president of ACD, said the goal is for the building to house a food and beverage operation that's Asian-inspired.

Essian also expects the former Chung's to be a multitenant building.

"There are emergency repairs to do and we intend to work on the renovation as soon as possible," Essian said.

The total investment, he said, is somewhere north of $3 million. Once emergency repairs are made, there's water in the basement and the building needs a new roof, Essian estimated that the building could be in usable condition in about six months.

That area on Peterboro and Cass Avenue was once known as Detroit's second Chinatown. The original Detroit Chinatown was the area near Michigan Avenue and Third Street before moving to the Cass Corridor.

Chung's was first started in the old Chinatown by Harry Chung and his wife Shee Chin before moving to the Cass Corridor. The rectangular building was built in 1963, according to the listing, and is on both Cass Avenue and Peterboro Streets.

During the 1960s, Detroit's Chinatown area was well-known for its restaurants, shops and other businesses that served many Asians in the area.

"The building is not historic and it's not a historic district but there are certain features of the building we want to restore, most notably the red roof," Essian said.

Previous owners of the building were the owners of Jim Brady's Detroit in Royal Oak.

"It's a notable building in Midtown and we are really excited to be part of the preservation of the building," Essian said. "One of the things that surprised me in talking with people is how many folks have fond memories of coming down and dining at Chung's."

What's Midtown specific, Essian noted, is other area neighborhoods with multifood and beverages operations such as the Selden corridor with Condado's, Smith and Co., Selden Standard, SheWolf and Honest John's.

"When you look at where Chung's is, it's kind of the same thing," he said. "You've got the Peterboro, you've got Detroit Shipping Company and 8 Degrees Plato. We hope that our redevelopment of this building will further establish work that others have already done in this area. "

Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: [email protected]. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Famed Chung's restaurant building in Detroit sold