Cyprus Taverna in Greektown closing

[R8RBOB]

R8R for some clairity perhaps. yes. I live across the freeway bridge from Greektown. and was/am a daily runner/walker/socializer there since 1991.

Okay, thank you for the info. Perhaps you and I have different views of Greektown. You gave me yours, let me share mines.

The Greektown that I am talking about is the Greektown from the 90's until I left in October of 2000 which was one month before the casino opened and the Tigers would have played their first season at Comerica. I was a frequent visitor to Greektown in the 90's and I do not recall Greektown being a crime area. Now I am not saying that it was protected by a force field to repel crime but I do not recall seeing people in fear. In fact the police was either walking or drive down Monroe. Greektown in the 90s had many days when people were out. I spent many Fridays and Saturdays in the Athens Lounge or I would go to Marilyn's.

I was gone for four years so if Greektown had changed, I wasn't a witness to it so maybe crime did increase. With Ford Field opening up in 2002, you had more sports fans in the area so yes I suppose the area was changing maybe for the better, maybe for the worst.

I only wished Detroit would have done something similar to what San Diego did to a decay section of downtown known as the Gaslamp Quarter. They coudl have opened a section of downtown which would have included Greektown and had a number of different restaurants, bars, etc... This could have preserve Greektown as it was but at the same time expanding the entertainment area. Instead everything was absorbed in the Greektown area and you have a disappearing Greektown.

[stasu1213]

Sad to see Greektown fade slowly away. When Greektown Casino opened its doors in 2000 it marked the beginning of the end for the historic district. Casinos suck the money not only from the people who are gambling but any restaurant/bar establishment in its crosshairs.

Could someone tell me when Marilyn's closed? It joins the list with the Athens Lounge, the Trapper Bar, the Music Menu and let's throw in the Oyster Bar.

Dennis Archer, Kwame Kilpatrick, and Dave Bing were and is the enemies of historic preservations. Archer had literally destroyed Greektown by granting developers to destroy Trappers Alley for the Casino. Kilpatrick allowed the hotel to be built in Greektown and Bing is a do nothing, know nothing Mayor who should had stayed with his failed steel company

[detroitsgwenivere]

Well maybe the Germans that once populated the Harmonie Park area share some of the blame?

Let's not cry too hard for the Greeks. They, as far as I can tell, are victims of their own success. You can't throw a stick in the 'burbs without hitting a "coney" or a honey tree or some sort of greek restaurant. Why drive downton when the same family runs a restaurant down the street?

Secondly, why aren't the greeks labeled as quitters like everyone else that pulled up stakes and moved to the suburbs?

Ya know, it's funny that you mention the Germans, since I am of German ancestory. You knew exactly what I was getting at .

I still feel like the city has declared war on the hisorical neighbohoods established by European immigrants. Renaming Harmonie Park without ANY imput from it's residents and business owners. Tearing down Old Tiger Stadium after the conservancy was appropriated almost 4mil and granted millions more in tax incentives. The allowed, ongoing assault on Greektown. Call me a conspiracy nut, I can take it.

[Traveller1]

R8R for some clairity perhaps. yes. I live across the freeway bridge from Greektown. and was/am a daily runner/walker/socializer there since 1991. The amount of foot traffic has increased enormously since pre Casino days. Many , many people I know of go to Greektown now, for gambling , and do have dinner there, something they never did before. Unfortunately, the type of patron [[ as mentioned in the article) has changed, and do not seem to really want as many ethnic restaurants. Many of the Tiger and Lions fans also make the trek over to Greektown because of the Casinos after the games, just take a walk with them after and see the stream of people headed to the Casinos , and inturn a percentage eat in Greektown [[ take a look at Pizza Papalis and Pegusus and the jerseys worn after any given event.) Many of these people would have little interest in running over to Greektown if no Casino was there. It is no secret many casino goers do still go out onto the restaurants and bars. However, they dont seem to want the Greek ethnic restaurants as much. The Casino itself does not excel in restaurant food and purposely so. Take this whole element out and you would have had a materially deader greektown and a increasingly changing night clientele. Many suburbanites I know of have said they had no interest in going to Greektown whatsoever prior to the Casino as they were increasingly feeling very unsafe. Also, Police personnel [[ two chief of police also since 1998) who live in our neighborhood have consistently stated that the streets of Greektown just prior to Casino development had increasing crime . Unfortunately , there were "pools of blood" as you coined, several times with some gang related shootings, I had the luxury of witnessing some in 1999. Auto break ins were becoming alarmingly high, this was borne out by police attendees at our neighborhood crime meetings. Crime has actually decreased per police stats due to increased security being present. There was no intention of spreading it on to "thick". For those of us who live in the direct area and found Greektown to be a alarmingly dangerous place to walk over and visit any given night, the Casino actually brought some stability to the streets with increased security present. It very sad to see the flavor of Greektown go, but as mentioned , Id take this anyday compared to the direction it was going in the late 1990s.

That is the biggest question that no one can really answer. Would Greektown even be around today if the casino didn't bring people into the neighborhood in the early 2000's?

[Gianni]

I'm deeply saddenned by this. Even though I saw it coming, I had no warning. I've been going there with my family since my kids were babies and before, since Cyprus opened what, 20 years ago? They watched my kids growing up. Took a walk through Greektown last night and saw Vassos' sign on the window and the insde already being torn down. My 14 year old almost started crying. We were there just a couple weeks ago, coincidentally the day of the Greek Indepedence Day parade, and did not go in because we were in a hury. They were very gracious hosts and had the best food in Greektown. Thank you for many happy meals Vassos and Eleni. You will be missed.

I have been walking to/through Greektown for for the last 25 years, when I was single, since I got married, and then with my kids for the last 14 years when they were babies, toddlers and now a teenager and about to be teenager. Granted I'm not usually there at 2AM and since I always walk I never had to park there or worry about car break ins [[a problem everywhere in the city) but I have never felt unsafe or that crime was a significant problem. Speaking for my family, who live in the direct area, we have never -- not in the 80's, 90's, 00's or now -- found Greetown to "be an alarmingly dangerous place to walk over and visit any given night." The biggest change I've noticed is the increase in aggressive panhandlers since the casino. But they're just a bother, not a danger.

I agree that burger and barbecue places are better than closed storefronts, and in some sense perhaps that is "progress," but is still very, very sad to see the authentic Greektown fading away to almost nothing.

I bet if you asked Vassos he would say that his business was far better before the casino. That's how I remember it.

[R8RBOB]

I'm deeply saddenned by this. Even though I saw it coming, I had no warning. I've been going there with my family since my kids were babies and before, since Cyprus opened what, 20 years ago? They watched my kids growing up. Took a walk through Greektown last night and saw Vassos' sign on the window and the insde already being torn down. My 14 year old almost started crying. We were there just a couple weeks ago, coincidentally the day of the Greek Indepedence Day parade, and did not go in because we were in a hury. They were very gracious hosts and had the best food in Greektown. Thank you for many happy meals Vassos and Eleni. You will be missed.

I have been walking to/through Greektown for for the last 25 years, when I was single, since I got married, and then with my kids for the last 14 years when they were babies, toddlers and now a teenager and about to be teenager. Granted I'm not usually there at 2AM and since I always walk I never had to park there or worry about car break ins [[a problem everywhere in the city) but I have never felt unsafe or that crime was a significant problem. Speaking for my family, who live in the direct area, we have never -- not in the 80's, 90's, 00's or now -- found Greetown to "be an alarmingly dangerous place to walk over and visit any given night." The biggest change I've noticed is the increase in aggressive panhandlers since the casino. But they're just a bother, not a danger.

I agree that burger and barbecue places are better than closed storefronts, and in some sense perhaps that is "progress," but is still very, very sad to see the authentic Greektown fading away to almost nothing.

I bet if you asked Vassos he would say that his business was far better before the casino. That's how I remember it.

I was puzzled when I saw the comment from DetBill that Greektown had became a area of crime. I myself have never seen anything that could validate that point but who am I to dispute someone who have seen the criminal activity.

Anyone who can honestly say that the Greektown Casino saved Greektown is delusional. Casinos are parasites. They take away from any business in their area of control. That is why casinos are built in isolated areas. Look with Windsor did with Casino Winsdor. [[Caesar Windsor) They built the hotel/casino away from downtown so that it would not directly kill the restaurants and bars in downtown. Greektown will be nothing but a bunch of burger joints and sub shops.

[DetroitSTAR]

The economics of Greektown [[district) baffle me. I pass through there or spend time there 2-3 days a week and there are always people around. There are plenty of people around during the lunch rush, and it's usually pretty popular Wednesday through Sunday. They get a major boost for Tigers and Red Wings Games and even during theater events. How in the world can the only true downtown entertainment district not be sustainable with the number of events hosted downtown?

[laurin]

There is no 'closing.' They are already gone. Apparently, they shut down about two weeks ago.

We went last night to try to get in one more dinner, but the lights were out. Instead, we stopped by the Golden Fleece. It had the same waiter who used to wait on us all the time at Cyprus-- he said that the owner was probably going to reopen in Royal Oak.

[EastsideAl]

Proof yet again that casinos don't enhance neighborhoods - they suck the life out of them. All you have to do is look at the areas near casinos in downtown Vegas or Atlantic City, which are a desolate wasteland of parking lots, rundown fast food joints, pawn shops, and check cashers.

The Greektown area may have more people in it now than it did in the late '90s [[debatable), but they are all headed to one place and mostly don't want to dally for a nice dinner or lunch on their way there. It's unquestionable that the Greek restaurants that are the historical heart of that neighborhood, indeed the entire reason for the district's preservation beyond other parts of downtown, were definitely doing better then than they are now. That's why they're closing. Greektown itself as a destination [[that is to say, not just as a place to pass through on the way to/from a casino) was actually near its commercial height in the 80s and 90s, after weathering tough times from the late '60s through the '70s. And nearby restaurants and bars, like Fishbones, Niki's, Music Menu, etc. were very often jammed as well. Like the rest of downtown, Greektown always had lower crime than most of the rest of the city around it.

[Detroitnerd]

Proof yet again that casinos don't enhance neighborhoods - they suck the life out of them. All you have to do is look at the areas near casinos in downtown Vegas or Atlantic City, which are a desolate wasteland of parking lots, rundown fast food joints, pawn shops, and check cashers.

I think a few things are at play here.

First of all, in my memory, Greektown wasn't as crowded before. It was just more ... Greek.

Second: Casinos are designed much like airports, to be self-contained, guiding people where they want, hoping to keep them in one area with security and tubeways. It's called "trafficking" and it's a whole consumer science.

Third: Casinos strive for a distinctly "uptown" vibe, with expensive, showpiece restaurants complemented by consumer-friendly little fast-food-style joints. They want the revenue to go to them, not necessarily neighborhood places.

Which brings point four: Plenty of Greektown restauranteurs have complained over the years about Greektown Casino fiddling with their comps, saying they can accept comps, saying they can't, often doing so seemingly arbitrarily. And the new restaurants that are going in seem to dovetail with suburban ideas of upscale eating, not old dudes serving saganaki. [[No offense to the Greeks, but I'm sure that's how plenty of diners see it.)

Add it all up and you have a recipe for making Greektown into a brand name, not a real neighborhood.

[Gambling Man]

I'm not sure why there is so much misinformation about Greektown and the restaraunts that close. The building that houses Cyprus was purchased years ago by the owner of the Athens Liquor store. He waited for their lease to end and has kicked them out of the space. Cyprus called me to get a new lease [[strange to want to start a new rest if he isn't making any money?!?), I gave him several options on Monroe St. and he turned them down cold. Music Menu was purchased by Jim Papas and turned into Mosaic and Pappys [[two places that completely blow that craphole out of the water). Marilyns was run into the ground by a group of drug dealers, and by the end, had gunplay in there nearly every weekend. When they left, they ruined the bar by scrawling racial slurs into the beautiful oak bar. I have been in Greektown every day for 11 years, and I can assure you it is far busier now than it ever has been. The restaraunts that have closed were bought out or ran out of leases....Period. All of them make or made plenty of money. There are only a few rough ones left, and they may struggle, but they are some of the filthiest restaraunts you have ever been in......PS, Ted Gatzaros owns the empty lot where Hellas stands.....he paid millions for it, and it fell down. They have plans to build a new bulding. I hope this answers all relevant questions.

[Detroitnerd]

I'm not sure why there is so much misinformation about Greektown and the restaraunts that close.

I KNOW! Isn't it weird when people misinform the public. Speaking of which ...

Ted Gatzaros owns the empty lot where Hellas stands.....he paid millions for it, and it fell down.

It FELL DOWN? It was demolished, and thoroughly salvaged before that happened.

[EastsideAl]

Mosaic and Pappy's, you've got to be kidding. You might as well be in Troy.

[Traveller1]

I'm not sure why there is so much misinformation about Greektown and the restaraunts that close. The building that houses Cyprus was purchased years ago by the owner of the Athens Liquor store. He waited for their lease to end and has kicked them out of the space. Cyprus called me to get a new lease [[strange to want to start a new rest if he isn't making any money?!?), I gave him several options on Monroe St. and he turned them down cold. Music Menu was purchased by Jim Papas and turned into Mosaic and Pappys [[two places that completely blow that craphole out of the water). Marilyns was run into the ground by a group of drug dealers, and by the end, had gunplay in there nearly every weekend. When they left, they ruined the bar by scrawling racial slurs into the beautiful oak bar. I have been in Greektown every day for 11 years, and I can assure you it is far busier now than it ever has been. The restaraunts that have closed were bought out or ran out of leases....Period. All of them make or made plenty of money. There are only a few rough ones left, and they may struggle, but they are some of the filthiest restaraunts you have ever been in......PS, Ted Gatzaros owns the empty lot where Hellas stands.....he paid millions for it, and it fell down. They have plans to build a new bulding. I hope this answers all relevant questions.

Any new building that that Ted Gatzaros builds on the Hellas site is never going to compare to the old 19th century building that they demolished last September.

The new building that he will probably build will look just like the casino, hotel, parking garage, etc......all very fake and ugly looking!

[English]

I have been in Greektown every day for 11 years, and I can assure you it is far busier now than it ever has been. The restaraunts that have closed were bought out or ran out of leases....Period. All of them make or made plenty of money. There are only a few rough ones left, and they may struggle, but they are some of the filthiest restaraunts you have ever been in......PS, Ted Gatzaros owns the empty lot where Hellas stands.....he paid millions for it, and it fell down. They have plans to build a new bulding. I hope this answers all relevant questions.

It's really not fair to say that the authentic Greektown restaurants are/were filthy. They were/are no more filthy than many comparable establishments. Not everyone wants every single restaurant to be perfectly polished wood, frosted glass, aluminum, and granite. Some of the best ethnic places in New York, Chicago, or any other city you could name are places a lot like the classic Greektown establishments.