Lost building, Detroit, 1959 to 1990
Empire Bar
Demolished in 1990
- Opened
- 1959
- Torn down
- 1990
Empire Bar stood in Detroit from 1959 until 1990. Here is what it was, who made it and where to find the spot today.
Then and now
What stands there now
Today
A construction site
Detroit's Empire Bar stood on this spot for 31 years. It came down 36 years ago. Today the spot is a construction site.
- 1959 Opens Empire Bar
- 1981 Closes Empire Bar
- 1990 Comes down Empire Bar
- 2026 Today Construction site
How we know what stands there
- OpenStreetMap construction site at the map point
- County parcel records SPEC ACT LAND ONLY
Checked October 25, 2026. We never guess: a site no source speaks for shows no answer.
What is there now
A construction site
- Today Source: OpenStreetMap and County parcel records
- Empire Bar came down Source: Historic Detroit
We checked Wikidata, Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Rebuild Detroit's landmark records and the county parcel records on October 25, 2026.
The story
In 1959, in the postwar boom, when Detroit's population peaked near two million, Empire Bar went up.
It is gone now, demolished in 1990, and the map pin below marks where it stood.
Timeline
- 1959 Built
- 1981 Closed
- 1990 Demolished
- 2026 Today 36 years since it came down
Where it is
42 Monroe Ave.
On this map
- 1 Empire Bar This place
- 2 Columbia Theatre Next door
- 3 Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings 160 ft
- 4 Wonderland and Temple Theatre 180 ft
- 5 Cadillac Square Building 230 ft
- 6 Cadillac Chair 250 ft
- 7 John J. Bagley Bust 270 ft
- 8 Russell House 280 ft
- 9 Detroit Opera House (first) 280 ft
Street map from OpenStreetMap contributors
More from Detroit in the 1950s
-
Dossin Great Lakes Museum
Park, built 1960, by William Kapp
Photo: PDru2014 from Detroit, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Huntington Place
Building, built 1960, Mid-Century Modern, by Louis Rossetti
Photo: Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
McGregor Memorial Conference Center
Monument, built 1958, International Style
Photo: © Matt Joseph / https://mattj.io, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
WGPR-TV Studio
Building, built 1961
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
Ford Auditorium
Building, built 1956, International Style, by Crane, Kiehler & Kellogg, demolished 2011
Photo: Goldnpuppy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
-
WJBK-TV Studios Building
Building, built 1956, Georgian Revival, by John L. Volk
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Around the block
- Columbia Theatre Theater, built 1911, by C. Howard Crane, demolished 1957 Next door
-
Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings
Historic district, demolished
Photo: Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
160 ft
- Wonderland and Temple Theatre House of worship, built 1899, Renaissance Revival, by John Scott, demolished 1935 180 ft
-
![Cadillac Square Building, [Cadillac Square and County Building, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/landmark-4325-2210-thumb-8479e96c24.jpg)
Cadillac Square Building
Hotel, built 1918, Beaux Arts, by Bonnah & Chaffee, demolished 1976
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
230 ft
- Cadillac Chair Monument, built 1901, Classic Revival, demolished 1941 250 ft
- John J. Bagley Bust Monument, built 1889 270 ft
-
![Russell House, [Russell House, Detroit, Mich.]](https://rebuilddetroit.com/wp-content/uploads/rd-photos/landmarks/historic_home-2537-2148-thumb-31d5f1cdf9.jpg)
Russell House
Built 1857
Photo: Detroit Publishing Company, no known restrictions, via Library of Congress
280 ft
- Detroit Opera House (first) Theater, built 1869, French Renaissance, by Sheldon Smith & Son, demolished 1897 280 ft
Sources
Facts only, gathered from these sources. The story above is written by Rebuild Detroit. Every photo names its author and license where it appears.