This Detroit Bar Is Sinking Into A Toxic River

The Ideal Bar, an institution in Detroit’s Delray neighborhood, was constructed between November 1913 and 1914. Located on the shores of the Old Channel of the Lower Rouge River, it overlooks Zug Island, one of the most polluted places in Michigan. For decades, the bar was run by the Jelics family before it closed in the 1980s. After that, it was sold to Richard Truchan. Since then, the bar has fallen into disrepair as Delray’s population has plummeted thanks to decades of industrial use in the underserved neighborhood. Read more about the history of the Ideal Bar: https://www.eherg.com/locations/8415-... SUPPORT THE CHANNEL: T-Shirts: https://thisbuildingmatters-shop.four... Donate: https://www.eherg.com/donate Print Shop: https://www.eherg.com/shop 00:00 - Introduction 00:16 - The Creation of Zug Island 01:24 - The Village of Delray 02:19 - The Ideal Bar 03:49 - New Ownership 04:08 - Detroit’s Disinvestment in Delray 04:39 - Richard Truchan 06:06 - The Ideal Bar in 2025 07:16 - John Kar Bottling Works Demolition 07:38 - Cleaning the Old Channel of the Lower Rouge River 09:03 - The Future of Delray 10:02 - Final Thoughts Use my Historically Significant Interactive Map: https://www.eherg.com/map Check out recently added locations: https://www.eherg.com/locations