The Metro: Club Heaven at The Hawk to celebrate Black LGBTQ history

The city of Farmington Hills and the Detroit Sound Conservancy are teaming up to bring a unique event to The Hawk Theatre celebrating a piece of Black LGBTQ history in Detroit.

This Friday, the theatre will be transformed into a club — but not just any club.

In 1984, a generation of Black LGBT youth in Detroit came together to create a sanctuary of self-expression. That space became known as Club Heaven, and it vibrated with people from a range of backgrounds, including DJs, performers, dancers and engineers.

Just like the Woodward Bar in Detroit that closed its doors in 2022 due to a fire, many of the well-known queer spaces have since disappeared from the city, including Club Heaven. But now – for one night only – Club Heaven will make it’s return, and the spirit and sounds of the club will take over The Hawk Theatre in Farmington Hills. 

Sam Koeppe, the city’s cultural arts programmer, and Detroit Sound Conservancy Board Member Damon Percy joined The Metro on Thursday to discuss the event.

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The theater is still fairly new, Koeppe says, but they’ve been working hard to create diverse programming that reflects the community.

“We’re in a unique spot being a new venue. We opened during COVID actually,” he said. “So you know, we get a real opportunity to build an audience from scratch.”

Koeppe says Club Heaven built a community around groundbreaking music in an inclusive space. The scene attracted many people in the midwest.  

“Back before the internet, you really had to seek out community a lot more,” he said. “A good friend of mine, Darryl, who’s also a DJ, he would drive from Port Huron. People would drive from Ohio. People would drive from Kalamazoo, hours and hours to come to this place because, you know, maybe you couldn’t be yourself at home. Maybe you had no outlet and when you need to express yourself, you’ll do anything.”

People came for the community, but they also came for the music, Percy says. Club Heaven’s sound system was unlike any other.

“Ken Collier, the godfather of house, he made it to where the sound was created where the speakers pointed to the center of the room,” Percy said. “So the sound went inside of you instead of past you.”

The event begins at 7 p.m. It is free to attend but tickets must be reserved in advance.

Use the media player above to hear the full interview with Koeppe and Percy.

More headlines from The Metro on May 16: 

• The Detroit People’s Food Co-op is having their ribbon cutting ceremony this weekend. Co-founder and Executive Director of the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network Malik Yakini joined the show to talk about the community-owned grocery store.
• ReThink I-375 Community Coalition submitted a letter of 500 signatures to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Mayor Mike Duggan, asking them to approach the I-375 reconstruction project differently. Detroit resident and member of the organizing committee Trish Hubbell joined the show. 
• WDET’s “What’s so funny about Detroit” comedy showcase is starting up this summer on Thursday, May 30. WDET’s Ryan Patrick Hooper spoke with comedian and Michigan native Brad Wenzel, who’s headlining the event.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.