7870 West Jefferson Avenue
Delray Savings Bank, People’s State Bank, National Bank of Detroit, Bank Bar
In 1900, the Delray Savings Bank was completed at this location. It would last less than 20 years, having been demolished in 1918. A year later, a new bank building would break ground, and a branch of the People’s State Bank would open in 1919.
The structure was designed by Donaldson and Meier and would be added onto within the first ten years after it was built. You can tell where the addition started on the side because the bricks are slightly different.
By 1933, the People’s State Bank branch had closed, and the National Bank of Detroit had opened. This bank would remain until the 1980s.
For decades, youngsters opened their first bank account here. Couples would combine their earnings into one account here after their marriage. A few men and women went broke here, too (probably). In Delray, it all happened at 7870 West Jefferson Avenue.
In 1974, an attempted robbery was thwarted thanks to the accidental actions of a teller. After the worker told the man that they couldn’t withdraw money from his grandmother’s account, he motioned that he had a gun and told her he would blow her up if she didn’t give him all the $20 and $50 bills. In the process of getting the money, the teller, Doloretta Johnson, fainted. This caused the main to flee on foot without his loot.
After the bank closed in the 1980s, I’m not certain what happened to it. A few folks have told me that it eventually became a motorcycle club and others said it was a bar called the Bank Bar. By the early 2000s, it was shuttered and in rough shape. The zoning describes its last use as a bar.
Peeking through an open window, there isn’t much left of the interior. The roof has a large hole and appears ready to fail any day. Although the facade seems sturdy, I can’t imagine this one will last much longer.
This structure is directly next to the Black Horse Cantina, a holdout bar worth visiting if you’re in the area. A historic structure with tacos and birria next door, what else could you ask for?
