Detroit Club | |
 | |
| Location | 712 Cass Avenue Detroit,Michigan |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°19′47″N83°3′3″W / 42.32972°N 83.05083°W /42.32972; -83.05083 |
| Built | 1891 |
| Architect | Wilson Eyre Jr., John Scott & Co. |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival,Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 04001577[1] |
| Added to NRHP | February 2, 2005 |
TheDetroit Club is aprivate social club located inDowntownDetroit,Michigan. The building was constructed in 1891 and listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2005.[1]
The origin of the Detroit Club dates to 1882, when Detroit attorney Samuel Townsend Douglas and banker/broker James Valentine Campbell, Jr. 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 includedRussell A. Alger, ex-governor of Michigan, Hugh McMillan, founder of the Michigan Telephone Company, and real estate magnateJames 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 architectWilson Eyre to design a new building to serve as their meeting place.[2]
The Detroit Club is a four-story brick and stoneRomanesque 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. The original woodwork was lighter than the current version.[4]
A number of pivotal events in the twentieth century took place within the walls of the Detroit Club. In 1902, the Automobile Club of Detroit was organized at a meeting in the club. In 1922, Michigan governorAlex Groesbeck held strategy sessions to decide whom to tap to fill the open Senate seat which resulted fromTruman Newberry's resignation. Groesbeck choseJames Couzens. In 1930, GovernorFred W. Green met with Detroit bank presidents to work out details for closing the city's banks. In 1944–45, after an extensive series of meetings at the club,Henry Ford II wrested control ofFord Motor Company fromHarry Bennett. Later,Lee Iacocca used the club to launch his campaign to restore theStatue of Liberty and developEllis Island into a museum.[2]
Dignitaries entertained at the Club includeHarry Truman,Herbert Hoover,Franklin Roosevelt, Prince William of Sweden,Empress Zita of Austria, theDuke of Windsor,Margaret Truman,Charles Lindbergh,Gene Tunney,Admiral Richard Byrd,John D. Rockefeller andEdward G. Robinson.[3]
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