Historic Stonehouse Bar Rides Again Next Week

Fans the Stonehouse Bar and Prohibition bars in general can breathe a cleansing sigh of relief: The Stonehouse is reopening. For those who missed it, last week local author and bar historian Mickey Lyons proclaimed the Stonehouse dead after a mysterious, multi-month closure. Eater Detroit looked into the rumors and found one source who suggested that the shutter was only temporary — the result of liquor licensing transfer issues.

Now, in an updated version of the original blog post, Lyons confirms with property manager Tony Nichols that the Stonehouse is preparing to reopen:

In the case of Stonehouse, the original owner passed away and her liquor license was non-transferrable. Michigan is a weird state when it comes to licenses, and the labyrinthian licensing process can be overwhelming. The grieving family let things get away from them a bit and the license was suspended. They’ve straightened everything out and are officially reopening on Friday, July 8th. There will be beers in the brand new coolers. There will be pizzas served from the brand new pizza ovens. The whole place has a new coat of paint and sparkling clean floors. And they’re working on booking the bands now, so it looks to be one hell of a party.

The Stonehouse is one of a few known former speakeasies in Southeast Michigan and was allegedly a spot where the Purple Gang used to hangout. The biker bar will ride again on July 8.