- Detroit Club
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Detroit Club
Location: Detroit, Michigan 
United StatesCoordinates: 42°19′47″N 83°3′3″W / 42.32972°N 83.05083°WCoordinates: 42°19′47″N 83°3′3″W / 42.32972°N 83.05083°W Built: 1891 Architect: Wilson Eyre Jr., John Scott & Co. Architectural style: Romanesque, Renaissance Governing body: Private NRHP Reference#: 04001577[1] Added to NRHP: February 02, 2005 The Detroit Club is a private social club located at 712 Cass Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. The building was constructed in 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[1]
Contents
History
The Detroit Club, c. 1899
The Detroit Club, c. 1903The origin of the Detroit Club dates to 1882, when Detroit attorney Samuel T. Douglas and banker/broker James Campbell decided to found a club where local businessmen could meet and mingle.[2] With an original membership of 10, they rented a house on Lafayette between Wayne and Cass,[3] and hired a chef. They soon convinced 100 more of Detroit's citizens to join.[2] Early members included Russell A. Alger, ex-governor of Michigan, Hugh McMillan, founder of the Michigan Telephone Company, and real estate magnate James B. Book.[3]
Within a year, the club had outgrown its first home and moved to larger quarters on Fort Street. Less than a decade later, the club hired architect Wilson Eyre to design new building to serve as their meeting place.[2]
Architecture
The Detroit Club is a four-story brick and stone Romanesque Revival building.[2] The front door is hidden within an unusual recessed archway with stairs.[4] The club features a grill and library on the first floor, a family room on the second floor, and a main dining room with smaller meeting rooms on the third floor.[5] The interior features fine woodwork, a wide main stair, and an enormous fireplace in the main dining hall.[4] The original woodwork was lighter than the current version.[4]
Events
A number of pivotal events in the twentieth centure took place within the walls of the Detroit Club. In 1902, the Automobile Club of Detroit was organized at a meeting in the club.[2] In 1922, Michigan governor Alex Groesbeck held strategy sessions to decide whom to tap to fill the open Senate seat which resulted from Truman Newberry's resignation. Groesbeck chose James Couzens.[2] In 1930, Governor Fred Green met with Detroit bank presidents to work out details for closing the city's banks.[2] In 1944-45, after an extensive series of meetings at the club, Henry Ford II wrested control of Ford Motor Company from Harry Bennett.[2] Later, Lee Iacocca used the club to launch his campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty and develop Ellis Island into a museum.[2]
Dignitaries entertained at the Club include Harry Truman, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Prince William of Sweden, Empress Zita of Austria, the Duke of Windsor, Margaret Truman, Charles Lindbergh, Gene Tunney, Admiral Richard Byrd, John D. Rockefeller and Edward G. Robinson.[3]
See also
References
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Tradition" from The Detroit Club
- ^ a b c "Where Detroit's elite met to eat," The Detroit News, August 9, 1996.
- ^ a b c Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, and the American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter, AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture, Wayne State University Press, 2002, ISBN 0814331203, p.84
- ^ "Facilities" from the Detroit Club
External links
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other 
Category:National Register of Historic Places • 
Portal:National Register of Historic PlacesCategories:- 1882 establishments
- Buildings and structures completed in 1891
- Buildings and structures in Detroit, Michigan
- Clubs and societies in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places in Michigan
- Private clubs
- Traditional gentlemen's clubs in the United States
- Organizations based in Detroit, Michigan
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