Cliff Bell’s has since taken its place among the world’s premier Jazz Clubs, featuring regional, national and international acts alongside Detroit’s own deep bench of top level musicians. Ours is one of the busiest stages in the country. Our top level culinary and beverage programs shine alongside the great music and we’ve become a destination...Read More

The club’s famous history was as yet unknown but as they worked to uncover what was here, they began to discover what had been. Soon the mission became clear; they would not just restore the jewel of a club, but restore the name as well. After an arduous effort and with the help of family,...Read More

In the summer of 2005 the current owners stepped into the long vacant club. It was cold, dark and wet. Layer upon layer of renovation and 20 years of dormancy obscured the art deco gem that lay underneath it all.Read More

In 1985 the last business closed and the building and famous old club sat vacant for 20 of Detroit’s hardest years.Read More

During the 70′s and 80′s the Club operated under a series of different names. Many remember The Winery, La Cave, or AJ’s on the Park.Read More

Throughout the 30′s 40′s and 50′s Cliff Bell’s and the Town Pump Tavern anchored two ends of what was Detroit’s busiest night crawl with clubs, pubs and burlesques dotting Park Avenue. Cliff Bell ran the club from 1935 until his retirement in 1958 and enjoyed another 20 years of repose with his wife Maude before...Read More

The club was state of the art with mechanical refrigeration and air conditioning, technologies so new that the Free Press published photos of the compressors in the basement.Read More

Cliff and Agree rejected the cold and jarring design trends of the machine edge and opted instead for warm mahogany trimmed in brass, plush leather and green velvet walls. The domed ceilings were adorned with 12,000 sheets of gold leaf.Read More

Against the advice of his associates, Cliff set out to open “the finest restaurant in America” in an Albert Kahn building on Park Avenue in Downtown Detroit. He tasked noted Detroit architect Charles Agree with the design.Read More

By the early 30′s it became clear that support for Prohibition was waning so Cliff began seeking new ways to outcompete the slew of bars sure to open with repeal. In 1933, he opened the Commodore Club at 72 Peterboro where he began featuring top acts from Hollywood and New York. The place was a...Read More