Checker Bar Reopens After 14-Month Closure Following Basement Fire

Checker Bar swings open its doors March 4 at 124 Cadillac Square in downtown Detroit. A January 2025 basement fire forced the bar to close for over a year. Flames erupted in an electrical conduit beneath Congress Street, coating the space with water and smoke.

Owner Timothy Tharp purchased the spot in 2014 from Harry Munro, who started it all.

"Detroit doesn't give up — and neither do the places that make it special," Tharp said, per the Detroit Free Press. "When the fire happened, we were at a total loss for how to proceed, but the community showed up for us immediately."

Crews unearthed a vintage Big Boy cup while tearing things apart. Workers upgraded the main bar and transformed the second-floor Clubhouse into something bigger. Billiards, steel-tipped darts, and live acts now fill the expanded room where people gather.

Pizza, burgers, and wings make up the food. Beers wash it down. Grand Trunk Pub on Woodward Avenue operates as the sister spot.