The Elwood Bar was built in 1936 at 2100

Woodward Avenue A woodward is a warden of a wood. Woodward may also refer to: Places ;United States * Woodward, Iowa * Woodward, Oklahoma * Woodward, Pennsylvania, a census-designated place * Woodward Avenue, a street in Tallahassee, Florida, which bisects th ...

(on the corner of Woodward and Elizabeth) in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

and is now located at 300 East Adams Street. The name comes from a combination of the cross streets: (El)izabeth and (Wood)ward.History of the Elwood
from the Elwood Bar & Grill The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1985.

Architecture

The Elwood, designed by Charles Noble, is an excellent Detroit example of Art Moderne Style.Elwood Bar
from the National Park Service Designed for a corner lot, the two facades are covered with cream and blue enameled steel. The building is a single story, measuring 72 feet by 25 feet, but a cylindrical

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specifi ...

extends above the corner entrance to a height of just over 22 feet. The tower is decorated with blue stripes and geometric design. This design, as well as neon signage, extends to the rest of the exterior of the building. The main entrance is in the corner of the building, below the tower. The enameled panels step back toward the entryway, and form an abstracted surround. The word "Bar" is above the entrance, formed in three dimensional painted sheet metal. One large window is located on the short side of the building, and eleven smaller ones on the long side. The interior contains a curved, hardwood bar, with red and black panels inset along the bottom. Seating is in a series of red and black vinyl booths. The bathrooms have Skylights and terrazzo floors.

History

The Elwood Bar was constructed as an investment for the John R. Williams Estate. In 1936, the estate hired Charles Noble to design the building; it was likely constructed in late 1936 or early 1937. The bar was purchased by George and Mary Courtesis in 1964. They owned it until the early 1980s, when it was purchased by Chuck Forbes, who owns the building as of 2016. The building was renovated in 1988, and has always served as a bar and grill. In 1997, construction of

Comerica Park Comerica Park is a baseball stadium located in Downtown Detroit. It has been the home of Major League Baseball's Detroit Tigers since 2000, when the team left Tiger Stadium. History Construction Founded in 1894, the Tigers had played at the c ...

(the Detroit Tigers stadium) threatened the Elwood, and the Bar was moved to its present location at 300 East Adams Street (on the corner of Adams and Brush). The building underwent a complete restoration at that time, and is now open as "Elwood Bar and Grill," catering to visitors attending games at the nearby Comerica Park and Ford Field. In popular culture a photo of the Elwood appears briefly in a 2016 episode of the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

sitcom ''

Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of th ...

''. In episode 7.17 "Express Yourself" at the 1:20 mark, right after the opening credits, the Elwood can be viewed at its current location.

References

External links

The Elwood Bar and Grill
{{National Register of Historic Places in Michigan National Register of Historic Places in Detroit Restaurants in Detroit Taverns in Michigan Buildings and structures completed in 1936 Restaurants established in 1936 Drinking establishments on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan Streamline Moderne architecture in the United States