By Steve Neavling

Motor City Muckraker

A suspicious fire tore through the former Hosmer Branch Library on Gratiot on Thursday, heavily damaging a long-abandoned relic designed by famed architect Louis Kamper.

The Italian Renaissance building first housed a library in 1911 and later became a clinic for people with opiate addictions, HIV and other health problems.

Flames ripped through the arched windows on Tuesday morning and caused significant damage to the interior.

The building has been vacant for at least six years along a once-vibrant stretch of Gratiot near Pulford.

The arson unit is investigating.