Detroit's historic Temple Bar, founded in 1927, closed indefinitely after partial collapse

Detroit's historic Temple Bar partially collapsed Friday morning, leaving the building closed and debris scattered.

The dive bar was founded in 1927 by a Greek immigrant and has long served diverse clientele.

"This place is a staple for the community, it's been a safe haven for the LGBTQ+ community and it's unfortunate that we have to shut down for the time being," said bar manager Larry Love.

Damage impacted the building's façade, with the area blocked off with orange and white construction cones and yellow caution tape. There were no injuries, with debris falling in front of the building and into the street, Love said.

"Temple Bar is closed until the owner can provide us an engineer's letter saying that it is safe to occupy. The health, safety and welfare of patrons and citizens is our primary focus," said David Bell, director of Detroit's Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department.

The bar is closed as officials investigate the cause of the collapse and determine next steps.

The closure disrupts the bar's operations during Movement festival weekend in Detroit, which staff expected to bring in over 400 customers to Temple Bar, Love said. The bar was set to host a fundraiser with 11 DJs Friday night and had a DJ performance lined up for Saturday night, both now canceled.

"It's one of the weekends that we look forward to every year, it's a good-money making weekend," Love said.

Temple Bar's employees are now out of work and seeking alternate employment, Love said.

Located on 2906 Cass Avenue, the bar is typically open 1 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. daily and hosts regular DJ shows.

"This is a simple bar, it's community and that's the way it's always been," Love said.

Temple Bar will remain closed indefinitely. Staff hope the bar will eventually reopen and are seeking community support to fundraise repairs, Love said.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Temple Bar partially collapses, closed indefinitely