Highland Park's First Bar in Decades Opens

Highland Park with its trove of historic district arts and crafts homes and central location astride Woodward has to be in line to be the next hot spot as development and recovery spreads north of Grand Blvd. and resurgence in Boston-Edison continues.

Here is news of a glimmer of that possibility.

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"[I]t’s been decades since anyone can remember a bar in Highland Park. That is changing tonight with the official opening of Woodward Ave. Bar & Grille.

"George Smith is one of the managers of the establishment. He says the upscale sports bar and music venue will fill a void in Highland Park.

“It means that our people, people in the community, don’t have to go downtown to have somewhere nice to sit and have a drink or listen to some music,” said Smith.

"Woodward Ave. Bar & Grille [[not to be confused with an iconic Detroit gay bar of a similar name) is owned by Lawrence J. Johnson, a longtime Highland Parker and crane operator at U.S. Steel. He bought the building in 2017 and did most most of the renovations himself."

Full article here

looks like also a club will be on the central West side. the former "Tropical Hut" on Livernois.

Historic LGBTQ bar and nightclub to reopen in Detroit


https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...ub/3518105002/

Backstreet, a storied venue in Detroit's LGBTQ bar scene, is making its return in a new location next month when the historic nightclub reopens on Livernois as the Backstreet at Large Multiplex.
Managing owner Doug Keller, 42, told the Free Press that he and co-owner Stephan Richardson, 32, are still waiting for the city to complete inspections but are expecting to officially open their doors during the second or third week of May. The actual date will be announced on the club's Facebook page.
While some renovations are ongoing, Keller said a soft opening night held March 23 was a "big success," drawing more than 900 people.

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Originally Posted by Hypestyles

looks like also a club will be on the central West side. the former "Tropical Hut" on Livernois.

Historic LGBTQ bar and nightclub to reopen in Detroit


https://www.freep.com/story/entertai...ub/3518105002/

Backstreet, a storied venue in Detroit's LGBTQ bar scene, is making its return in a new location next month when the historic nightclub reopens on Livernois as the Backstreet at Large Multiplex.
Managing owner Doug Keller, 42, told the Free Press that he and co-owner Stephan Richardson, 32, are still waiting for the city to complete inspections but are expecting to officially open their doors during the second or third week of May. The actual date will be announced on the club's Facebook page.
While some renovations are ongoing, Keller said a soft opening night held March 23 was a "big success," drawing more than 900 people.

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In that ghetto hood of Livernois and Fenkell Rd. near the Lodge FWY. That used to be a thriving commercial district, good luck with that.

^^^ I remember the Tropical Hut on Livernois... good times where there!

I remember a bar on Woodward in HP near the tracks where a bunch of U of D folks used to hang out. Went there several times with a friend who was a UD theater major.

Anyone remember the Pretzel Bowl on Woodward in Highland Park?

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ I remember the Tropical Hut on Livernois... good times where there!

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Tropical Hut was a big UDM hangout bar when I was an undergrad. Many fun thurs nights there

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

Anyone remember the Pretzel Bowl on Woodward in Highland Park?

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Yes! That's the place I was talking about. Nice chill and very convivial spot.

Hah! How's about that. I never went but a friend was a waitress!

Really, zero bars in Highland Park? Is that true? I guess I never thought about it. Contrast that with at least a dozen bars in neighboring Hamtramck.

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ I remember the Tropical Hut on Livernois... good times where there!

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It's been EDM night there for months! :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

Hah! How's about that. I never went but a friend was a waitress!

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I mixed it up with the Park Club, which was another place I used to go to that was a few blocks further north past railroad bridge [[it was a long time ago and I was in a, ummm, rather hazy state). Similar joints, but Park Club was dive-yer, with a much used pool table. Pretzel Bowl was where I used to hang with the U of D folks though.

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Originally Posted by Zacha341

^^^ I remember the Tropical Hut on Livernois... good times where there!

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Former Tropical Hut? I didn't know it was closed. One of my favorite dance spots in the 80's & 90's. Great African/Caribbean food, music, and people...:cool:

Yeah there was a very divey bar stuck over off Hamilton and Oakman blvd. area down from the old Ameritech Building. What was it....?

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Originally Posted by EastsideAl

I mixed it up with the Park Club, which was another place I used to go to that was a few blocks further north past railroad bridge [[it was a long time ago and I was in a, ummm, rather hazy state). Similar joints, but Park Club was dive-yer, with a much used pool table. Pretzel Bowl was where I used to hang with the U of D folks though.

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