Restaurants & Bars
Popular Downtown Detroit Bar Reopens After Fire
Though the building was not a total loss, it did require extensive cleaning, repairs and restoration after the fire, the owner said.
DETROIT — A popular downtown Detroit bar reopened Wednesday, more than a year after a fire forced it closed.
Checker Bar, located on Cadillac Square, closed in January 2025 due to a fire in the building's basement. Officials believe an explosion outside the building sparked the fire.
No one was injured in the fire, but it did damage the building. Though it was not a catastrophic loss, it did require extensive cleaning, repairs and restoration, Owner Timothy Tharp said.
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"Detroit doesn’t give up — and neither do the places that make it special," Tharp said. "When the fire happened, we were at a total loss for how to proceed, but the community showed up for us immediately."
The bar is best known for its selections of beers and bar bites, such as burgers and wings.
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The bar is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
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