DETROIT, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Blue Bird Inn, a historic jazz club on Detroit's west side, is being restored and is expected to reopen as a live music venue, community space, and archive.
The nonprofit Detroit Sound Conservancy purchased the Tireman Avenue venue in 2018 after it closed in the early 2000s and faced the threat of demolition. The organization is now in the midst of a full restoration of the building.
By 1948, the Blue Bird Inn had grown from two storefronts into a popular destination for bebop jazz, drawing performers including Miles Davis and a number of local musicians.
7 News Detroit reporter Demetrios Sanders has more on the restoration in the video below:
Michelle McKinney, director of the Detroit Sound Conservancy, said the club quickly built a reputation.
"Before you know it, in one year, it had gained so much popularity that people from New York were coming in," McKinney said.
McKinney said the audiences at the Blue Bird Inn were part of what made it special.
"And the people here in Detroit were knowledgeable about the music. So when you played at the Blue Bird Inn, you were playing to a Detroit crowd that knew what up doe," McKinney said.
The club also held deep significance for Black Detroiters.
"Tireman was the red line. Back this way, all Black people could live. North was all white. This became a haven," McKinney said.
When the Blue Bird Inn reopens, it will offer live music and serve as a gathering place for the broader community. Graig Donnelly, president of Proxy, is involved in the restoration project.
"Where Detroit Sound Conservancy will welcome in their neighbors and the larger community that they serve, who want to celebrate music in Detroit. As a place to make, share, celebrate that amazing culture," Donnelly said.
A two-story addition has been built onto the building to house an archive of Detroit music.
"It's actual recordings and you can sit down with some headphones and listen to those. It's paraphernalia, it's posters, it's the physical records," Donnelly said.
McKinney said the goal is for the restored Blue Bird Inn to serve future generations.
"As a haven, and as a place you can pass on the legacy, and the knowledge, and the heritage," McKinney said.
The Detroit Sound Conservancy hopes to receive a certificate of occupancy by the end of the year.
Sept. 26, from 2 to 5 p.m., the Detroit Sound Conservancy will host its annual Blue Bird BBQ. The free event will feature music, food, and tours of the Blue Bird Inn at the new park being built around the corner from the venue on the city's west side.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
