At 1300 Cass Ave. in Detroit sits the former Lindell A.C., a place that has certainly seen far better days than this.
Back in 1999, the Detroit News wrote: “It started out as the Lindell Bar in the old downtown Lindell Hotel, then moved to its current location in 1963. It was nicknamed the Lindell ‘A.C.’ — for Lindell Athletic Club — by legendary Detroit News sports columnist Doc Greene, who was poking fun at the highbrow Detroit Athletic Club. The name stuck as owners Jimmy and Johnny Butsicaris presided over one of the most famous sports-oriented saloons around.”
Hundreds of people packed the place when the last “last call” was called in December 2002.
Now, the four-story building with its windows boarded over is notable only for a mural on its southern face that seems remarkably fresh. The mural spans the entire width of the building, from the second floor to the roof. It depicts a road map of Detroit, over which is superimposed a giant tire, a black stretch of highway and a car.
“I don’t remember ever seeing them paint that mural,” said Charlotte Thomas, a passerby who works in downtown Detroit. “I just remember that a few years ago it just showed up on the wall one day.”
City officials say the structure isn’t slated for demolition. There is, however, a decidedly ghostly feel to the place where ball players once boozed and brawled. The only patron left now is a dead pigeon in the entryway, lying next to an empty half pint of Seagram’s Extra Dry Gin.
Editor’s note: If you know of an abandoned home you would like to see featured in this spot, send a photo and pertinent information to News Hits, c/o Metro Times, 733 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48226 (or e-mail [email protected]).
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