Detroit's Temple Bar closed indefinitely after facade collapse: 'Had to cancel everything'

A celebrated dive bar in Detroit's Cass Corridor is closed until further notice after a portion of the building's front facade collapsed Friday morning.

The Temple Bar, 2906 Cass Ave. and near Little Caesars Arena, was said to be empty at the time of the collapse, and there was no apparent damage to the bar's interior. Outside the bar Friday afternoon, however, the sidewalk was strewn with bricks, chunks of masonry and a detached exterior light.

"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.

Owner George Boukas said he first learned of the collapse from a 10 a.m. phone call from Detroit police. He said he intends to reopen the bar once the damage is repaired, although he isn't sure when that will be. A masonry repairman was already at the bar Friday afternoon to survey the damage.

“It’s all about getting everything back up to code — engineering, permitting, construction — so it’s going to be a whole process," Boukas said. "Right now, we’re closed indefinitely.”

The city of Detroit also confirmed the closure, as officials investigate the cause of the collapse.

"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.

Police also blocked off traffic for a portion of Cass outside the bar, including a small sinkhole at the nearby intersection with Temple Street. Bar staff said the sinkhole opened about 1½ months ago and, whenever it was hit by a bus would cause vibrations throughout Temple Bar. The sinkhole has since been covered with an orange traffic barrel.

The timing of the collapse was particularly inconvenient for the bar's business, coming on the eve of this weekend's Movement electronic musical festival. Temple Bar was set to host a Friday night fundraiser for the Underground Music Academy and a Saturday night dance party.

“I had 11 DJs lined up for tonight," Boukas said. "I had to cancel everything."

Staff had expected the Movement festival weekend to draw in over 400 customers, the key business weekend now disrupted by the closure, Love said.

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

Temple Bar was a recurring setting in the Comedy Central TV series "Detroiters" and in recent years has hosted a regular lineup of DJ events and techno nights.

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

The bar was started in 1927 by Boukas' Greek immigrant father. His mother eventually sold the bar in 1974, and Boukas decided to buy it back in 1988.

More: Temple Bar holds on as spotlight shines on Little Caesars Arena

Staff writers Brian McCollum and Jenna Prestininzi contributed to this story.

Contact JC Reindl: 313-378-5460 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on X @jcreindl.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit's Temple Bar closed indefinitely after facade collapse