A brick building on Tireman Avenue that once drew Miles Davis and other jazz greats to Detroit's west side is being rebuilt from the inside out, with a two-story archive addition, bar-rebuilding work and a modern sound system, alongside historic finishes. The Blue Bird Inn, a historic jazz club that closed in the early 2000s and once faced the threat of demolition, is being restored as a live music venue, community space and archive for Detroit's music history.
From Bebop Haven to Rescue Project
The Detroit Sound Conservancy purchased the Tireman Avenue venue in 2018, according to WXYZ 7 News Detroit, though Outlier Media's reporting has placed the purchase in 2019, noting the conservancy has owned the building since 2019 “when it bought the building on Tireman,” per Outlier Media. By 1948, the club had grown from two storefronts into a popular destination for bebop jazz, drawing performers including Miles Davis along with a number of local musicians, the station's report notes. The Blue Bird Inn served Detroit audiences who were knowledgeable about the music and was a haven for Black Detroiters, per the same account.
Michelle McKinney has said the club gained popularity within just one year, and it went on to attract audiences from as far as New York. The conservancy is now conducting a full restoration of the building, an effort that Graig Donnelly is involved in, according to the station's coverage.
Building an Archive Inside the Walls
The rehabilitation work includes recreating the original seating layout and lighting, reinstalling the salvaged stage and rebuilding the bar, according to the Detroit Sound Conservancy. The restored venue will also integrate a state-of-the-art sound system, the nonprofit says. A two-story addition has been built onto the building specifically to house an archive of Detroit music, containing actual recordings along with paraphernalia, posters and physical records, per WXYZ's reporting.
Funding for the project has included a $1.9 million grant from the Mellon Foundation, described by the conservancy as “a transformational grant of $1,900,000 over four years.” The effort also drew a $500,000 Community Center grant from the State of Michigan and a $300,000 grant from the Erb Family Foundation, according to the conservancy. Detroit Sound Conservancy has said the project will serve once again as a music venue, but also a cultural heritage center, archive and space for community programming.
Timeline of a Years-Long Rehab
The Blue Bird Inn was officially designated a Detroit Historic District on October 6, 2020, following an 8-0 City Council vote, according to the Detroit Sound Conservancy's project page. The following year, the nonprofit fundraised and replaced the aging roof on the building and began design work, the organization says. The conservancy now hopes to receive a certificate of occupancy by the end of the year, per WXYZ's reporting.
No firm public reopening date has been announced. A LinkedIn post from johnsears1 noted that the conservancy is working to make the building a working music venue again, not simply a museum, adding that no reopening date has been announced yet.
What the Reborn Club Will Offer
Once it reopens, the Blue Bird Inn will offer live music and serve as a gathering place for the broader community, providing a place to make, share and celebrate Detroit music culture. The conservancy aims for the restored venue to serve future generations, with organizers saying the restored club will preserve the legacy, knowledge and heritage of the space.
Residents in the surrounding neighborhood say they are looking forward to having somewhere else to go for live music and to hang out, according to PBS. Community members hope the rehabilitation will bring life back to the surrounding neighborhood, per Detroit PBS.
Free BBQ Marks Progress This Saturday
The Detroit Sound Conservancy will host its annual Blue Bird BBQ on Sept. 26, running from 2 to 5 p.m. The free event will take place at the new park being built around the corner from the venue on the west side, and will feature music, food and tours of the Blue Bird Inn itself, giving neighbors a firsthand look at the restoration in progress.
