Quote Originally Posted by Detroitgayhistoryguy View Post
What is with the name "Sugar house?" I guess I read a lot of Detroit history stuff, it makes me think of the purple gang, aka "The sugar house gang" Is that what they are referring to?
Yes. Both the Sugar House on Michigan Ave. and the Oakland on 9 Mile in Ferndale are named after Purple Gang. I wrote an article on both several months ago, and interviewed the operators of both bars. The article is no longer online, but it said: The Sugar House and the Oakland, while owned and operated completely independent from one another, are both named after the Oakland Sugar House, a speakeasy Detroit's Purple Gang used during prohibition. [[The Detroit News)