The Detroit Eagle

Detroit Eagle / The Eagle of Detroit
Address928 W McNichols Rd, Detroit, MI 48203
LocationDetroit, Michigan, United States
TypeNightclub and entertainment complex
Construction
Opened(Original Menjos) 1970s

Detroit Eagle is a nightclub and entertainment complex in Detroit, Michigan. It has adopted an attribution to a larger network of gay bars which have a common theme and cater primarily to the LGBTQ+ community, particularly the leather subculture and BDSM subculture.[1][2][3][4]

History

After World War II, downtown Detroit became a hub for gay bars. Starting in the 1950s, the gay population began following the migration pattern of many Metro Detroiters, heading northward. By the 1970s, there was a community in the Palmer Park that thrived until the late 1980s.[5]

Specific details on the bar origins are unclear. The Detroit Eagle is located at the Menjos Complex, where Menjos, the original bar, was established in the 1970s, and became a popular gathering spot for the LGBTQ+ community.[6]

The original location was at 1501 Holden St Detroit, Michigan, now known as the Marble Bar, a live music venue bar that opened in the Fall of 2015 in the space formerly occupied by the Detroit Eagle, which moved in 2010. The Detroit Eagle became a part of this larger Menjos Complex in 2010.[7] Over the years, the venue expanded and evolved, eventually becoming the Menjos Complex, which includes multiple bars, a dance club, and various entertainment spaces.

Connection to Madonna

In the 1970s, Madonna made youthful forays into Menjo's in the Palmer Park area.[8] Her presence at this historic establishment was an important chapter in her early life, and this was likely the first gay bar she ever visited.[9][10] According to local legend, Madonna's patronage of the bar took place during the mid- to late 1970s.[11] However, her visits were not without controversy, as she was eventually barred from the establishment.[12] Tim McKee-Zazo, Menjo’s general manager said “Before she went to New York and got famous, this was her hangout.[13] Her period of coming here was the mid- to late ’70s, but then she was barred from coming,” he said, sharing a local legend. “She got kicked out of here for pulling her vagina out. She was a rowdy teenager at the time.”[14] The original disco ball Madonna danced under is still in the possession of Menjo's; "That's the original 1976 disco ball that Madonna used to dance under here at Menjo's. She was 16 years old."[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Baldas, Tresa. "Photographer sues iconic Detroit gay bar over steamy photo used to promote military night". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  2. ↑ Green, Randiah Camille. "Detroit's Menjos hosting benefit concert for Club Q following horrific shooting". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Staff, Metro Times. "The hottest hookup bars in metro Detroit [PHOTOS]". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  5. ↑ Herberg, Melissa Mason, Laura (July 11, 2016). "CuriosiD: Did Detroit Ever Have A 'Gayborhood'?". WDET 101.9 FM. Retrieved November 30, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  7. ↑ Staff, Metro Times. "The hottest hookup bars in metro Detroit [PHOTOS]". Detroit Metro Times. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ DeVito, Lee. "Menjo's is making a museum of Detroit's gay history". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Why Madonna Was Banned from a Gay Bar in Detroit in the '70s, as Legend Has It". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ DeVito, Lee. "Menjo's is making a museum of Detroit's gay history". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
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