Ye Olde Tap Room Began in Prohibition Era

Last week I had the pleasure of exploring the tallest landmark in Grosse Pointe--the bell tower of the . This week I went in the exact opposite direction, and explored the basement of the . 

Technically in Detroit, the Tap Room is on the southernmost edge of Grosse Pointe Park. Its history dates back to the early prohibition era. It might not make sense by today’s standards to locate a bar on the edge of Detroit, but in 1915, the location was prime. The corner of Charlevoix and Alter was the end of the trolley tracks that commuting Pointers would take to their offices downtown. 

So when the general manager, Matthew ‘Matty’ Armstrong said the third floor was a ‘renowned house of ill-repute’ I wasn’t surprised. Currently the space above the bar is apartments, but that wasn't what interested me. 

Drinking primarily took place in the basement, where the bar was complete with a spit trough that is still visible on the floor. Armstrong and I went on a little tour, and the trough is really all that remains. 

The basement was also a shooting range, but the bullet holes have since been painted, Armstrong said. They are somewhat visible behind some shelving. The second floor was reserved for the gaming crowd and a dumbwaiter brought drinks up from the basement.  

Today, the basement is a storage room full of a variety of artifacts--primarily ancient beer cans.  "Every time someone cleans out an attic or basement and finds a collection of old beer cans, they bring them to us.  We have hundreds," Armstrong said. A selection of these cans line the northern most wall of the bar.

Once prohibition was in full affect, the first floor of the building contained a candy store, a butcher shop and a barber shop. 

The Tap Room has never closed in its history despite having had various owners over the years including two former Detroit Tigers, Parker Munger and Hal Hudson.

The Tap Room has been with the Mack family since 1966. In 1972, the current owner Russ ‘Big Mack’ Mack changed the format, which now features over 250 specialty beers from around the world. Once a liquor license became available, the addition of over 30 single malt whiskies was introduced.

Celebrating the Prohibition-era origins of the Tap Room, an annual ‘Repeal of Prohibtion’ Party is slated for Saturday, May 7, which will commemorate the 84-year anniversary of the repeal. Guests are encouraged to attend in period attire.  You’ll often find the ladies in flapper dresses donning long pearl necklaces, and the men donning fedora hats. 

Beer prices also revert to the price that they were during Prohibition. Guests purchase a mug at the door, and beer is .5 cents for the first 5 mugs, and .25 cents thereafter. From ‘the most prestigious speakeasy in Detroit’ to a hangout for beer lovers of all ages, the Tap Room has stood the test of time.