100 Shelden Avenue
A former Detroit Red Wings player once owned this building.
The building that is currently known as the Downtowner was constructed in 1890, possibly for residential purposes. It housed the McGanns Saloon beginning in 1908 and was later purchased in 1948 by Tony Bukovich, a former Detroit Red Wings hockey player. Bukovich renamed the bar “Tony’s Sports Bar” and later renamed it “Red Wing Lounges.” Bukovich sold his bar in 1974 and it became and has remained the Downtowner ever since. What is now the Downtowner was constructed as a series of two-story block buildings. An outdoor patio deck extends out back from behind the bar portion of the Downtowner, which is the building furthest to the west. The other buildings are used as the motel part of the Downtowner.
Sources: Historic Houghton Walking Tour (2024); Michigan State Tax Commission (1956); Image: Michigan Tech University Archives and Historical Collections No. MS042-064-999-Z724-03