Abandoned Detroit Church from 1911 with a Hand Painted Ceiling and a Bar in the Basement

The ceiling is the whole reason for this video. It’s hand painted, the pews are all still in the room, and the only thing missing is the chandeliers.

This abandoned Detroit church was built in 1911 and was a Greek Hungarian church. The description says it’s not clear what year it closed. The exact location stays off this page. I found the way in so fast, and it was snowing into the building like a little blizzard the whole time.

What we found

We crossed through a door and hoped it connected. It led to Bibles and other church leftovers, and then I found the way into the sanctuary. The piano is still there. The ceiling is hand painted in ovals and bands, the windows are tall and arched, and there is a pink carpeted aisle running up to the altar.

I wanted a shot from higher up, and the building goes up even higher. Up there is a little toy car. The place is so decayed, and there is hardly any graffiti. I’ve seen a few tags, but not as many as I’d expect for how old it is.

The bell tower is a no from me. The floor sounded like it was crunching, and the bell doesn’t look like it’s up there anymore. Most of the explorer tags are in one spot instead of on the walls, which is kind of respectful. Out front, the front door is broken, and there is a sign on a door by it. Near the door we ran into other people in the building.

The basement is where it gets wild. It’s dark, so you may not see much. One doorway had a ton of bushes thrown in front of it. Further in is a little sunken circle, and it’s a baptism pool. I did not know they did baptisms in the basement, and I think that’s actually really cool.

Then there was a bar in the basement of the church. A literal bar in a church. I would never expect that. There is a basement inside of the basement, too, and it’s creepy.

Upstairs I found a bathtub and a little organ. There is also a stack of pictures that I think are paintings, including a leaping trout. I slid them back in where they were, because they have been protected all these years.

The rest of the building is the kitchen area, a little toilet, and the garage, which is where we came in. Past that is where I think the pastor lived, with a fireplace and all the books. The sink is just gone. It looks like the pastor had some sort of animal.

Upstairs from the pastor’s rooms, it looks like some homeless people have made it their home.

Why places like this end up empty

Nothing in the video says why this church closed. Two Detroit reports give the general picture, though neither is about this building, and both cover the Archdiocese of Detroit, which may not match this church’s denomination.

The Detroit News reported in December 2010 that 14 Catholic churches in Detroit had closed since 2005 because of low collections and membership. Only 55 churches in the diocese were still open, and the archdiocese’s parish life director said many parishes were struggling to maintain aging buildings.

The pattern has continued. FOX 2 Detroit reported in November 2025 that Catholic membership in Southeast Michigan was near 900,000, down from more than 1.5 million. The archbishop said the buildings were constructed during a period of growth, and that the archdiocese cannot maintain the same number of parish buildings it has today.

A church built in 1911 went up in a city that was still growing. What it has left now is a painted ceiling, a piano and a baptism pool in the basement.