8415 West Jefferson Avenue
The Ideal Bar
I haven’t been able to find out much information in my research about this building. However, because of the stories I’ve read from folks on pages on this site and in my dealings with the owner, I know a whole lot about this building. If you have anything to add, I’d love to hear it!
Most people will know this structure as the Ideal Bar. I’m not sure when it assumed that name, but most folks who ever lived or worked in Delray know it by that name. The bar takes up the entire main floor apart from a small vestibule and staircase to the upper floor on the left side.
When you walked into the Ideal Bar, the right side had tables, chairs, and a pool table. Once you go around the corner, there’s a hand-carved wooden bar with bar stools and an old-timey cash register. Out back, a multi-level deck overlooks the Rouge River and Zug Island. By the time this structure was built, Zug was already transitioning to an industrial powerhouse with multiple blast furnaces.
Upstairs, there was at least one apartment. There were dozens of small businesses in Delray that had apartments above them, making it easier for business owners to cut transportation and rental costs or rent it out for extra cash.
For a long time, the bar was run by the Jelics family. Most accounts speak about Irene running the bar. She was married to Joseph, who was originally from Hungary, and had a daughter named Yolanda, who eventually Married Steve Kertesz, and a son named Joseph. Irene was beloved by all who frequented the bar. She was born around 1915. On June 7, 1990, she passed away. Her children went to Holy Cross, and she loved betting on horses.
The family had a horse named Master Piece that they raced. They got him when he was three years old and were still running him at age 11, which is on the older side for a racehorse. In September 1968, he won his first race in two years. Mr. Jelics had exercised racehorses before he came to America from Hungary. After a win, Irene fed Master Piece a big container of frozen custard.
I believe that the Ideal Bar was open until the late 1980s. That’s when Richard Truchan, the current owner, purchased it. In July 2018, I met Richard, and he invited my friend and me inside for a tour.
On that occasion, there was still a sign outside that read “DO NOT ENTER: CRIME SCENE.” I had photographed this multiple times but had never seen the man rumored to live there. While taking photos that evening, Richard came out and asked us what we were doing. We explained that we were curious about the sign and thought the building was gorgeous—and he invited us inside to tell us the story. Looking elsewhere online, you’ll find that others received similar treatment.
Richard told us there used to be a house next to the bar he owned. In 2014, some local kids burned it to the ground. He had been working with just a wheel barrel to clean up the damage, but that was all he could do. The city would charge him upwards of $30,000 to come and clean it up, which he said he couldn’t afford. He planned to see what it would cost for an independent contractor to do the work, but he hadn’t been able to do that when we spoke to him.
Once inside, Richard showed us bills that the City of Detroit had sent him over the years for city services that he hadn’t even used and paperwork that indicated that there were ordinances stopping him from reopening the bar, which he had been longing to do for years. At that time, Richard lived upstairs. He told us that movies had been shot inside at the wooden bar, and he was used to seeing folks stop and take photos every week or two.
Anyone who lived in Delray during the era when it was open will remember the Ideal Bar. It was an iconic piece of the neighborhood, and many folks remember it fondly. Some people will get out to take photos of it, not knowing whether it’ll be there the next time they drive past, as so much of the Delray they once knew is gone.
For a while, I saw Richard getting into his truck occasionally, walking in or out of the building, or accessing the damage to the burnt house next door. However, I haven’t seen him or his dog since the pandemic.
The future of the Ideal Bar, to be forthright, doesn’t look great. The building continues to fall into disrepair, and Delray continues to bleed residents. With industry slowing down on Zug Island and the Gordie Howe International Bridge nearing completion, the neighborhood may have a future. Nevertheless, Delray remains one of the most polluted corners of the state, and the city refuses to invest in the neighborhood and the people who live there.
With all that said, I hope I’m wrong, and the Ideal Bar reopens.
This structure is visible from the Iron Coffins Motorcycle Club.
