# Detroit Club

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For the electronic music genre also known as Detroit club, see [Ghettotech](/source/Ghettotech).

United States historic place

Detroit Club U.S. National Register of Historic Places Interactive map Location 712 Cass Avenue Detroit, Michigan Coordinates 42°19′47″N 83°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

The **Detroit Club** is a [private social club](/source/Gentlemen's_club) located in [Downtown](/source/Downtown_Detroit) [Detroit](/source/Detroit), [Michigan](/source/Michigan). The building was constructed in 1891 and listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 2005.[1]

## History

The Detroit Club, c. 1899

The Detroit Club, c. 1903

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 included [Russell A. Alger](/source/Russell_A._Alger), ex-governor of Michigan, Hugh McMillan, founder of the Michigan Telephone Company, and real estate magnate [James B. Book](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_B._Book&action=edit&redlink=1).[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](/source/Wilson_Eyre) to design a new building to serve as their meeting place.[2]

## Architecture

The Detroit Club is a four-story brick and stone [Romanesque Revival](/source/Romanesque_Revival_architecture) 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]

## Events

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 governor [Alex Groesbeck](/source/Alex_Groesbeck) held strategy sessions to decide whom to tap to fill the open Senate seat which resulted from [Truman Newberry](/source/Truman_Newberry)'s resignation. Groesbeck chose [James Couzens](/source/James_Couzens). In 1930, Governor [Fred W. Green](/source/Fred_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](/source/Henry_Ford_II) wrested control of [Ford Motor Company](/source/Ford_Motor_Company) from [Harry Bennett](/source/Harry_Bennett). Later, [Lee Iacocca](/source/Lee_Iacocca) used the club to launch his campaign to restore the [Statue of Liberty](/source/Statue_of_Liberty) and develop [Ellis Island](/source/Ellis_Island) into a museum.[2]

Dignitaries entertained at the Club include [Harry Truman](/source/Harry_Truman), [Herbert Hoover](/source/Herbert_Hoover), [Franklin Roosevelt](/source/Franklin_Roosevelt), Prince William of Sweden, [Empress Zita of Austria](/source/Zita_of_Bourbon-Parma), the [Duke of Windsor](/source/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom), [Margaret Truman](/source/Margaret_Truman), [Charles Lindbergh](/source/Charles_Lindbergh), [Gene Tunney](/source/Gene_Tunney), [Admiral Richard Byrd](/source/Richard_Evelyn_Byrd), [John D. Rockefeller](/source/John_D._Rockefeller) and [Edward G. Robinson](/source/Edward_G._Robinson).[3]

## See also

- [Michigan portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Michigan)

- [List of American gentlemen's clubs](/source/List_of_American_gentlemen's_clubs)

- [Detroit Athletic Club](/source/Detroit_Athletic_Club)

- [Detroit Economic Club](/source/Detroit_Economic_Club)

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nris_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nris_1-1) ["National Register Information System"](https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP). *[National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places)*. [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service). April 15, 2008.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-dc_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-dc_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-dc_2-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-dc_2-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-dc_2-4) ["Tradition"](http://www.thedetroitclub.com/tradition.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080420104609/http://www.thedetroitclub.com/tradition.html) April 20, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) from The Detroit Club

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-detnews_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-detnews_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-detnews_3-2) ["Where Detroit's elite met to eat,"](http://info.detnews.com/redesign/history/story/historytemplate.cfm?id=155) [Deprecated link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive.today_guidance) archived 2013-01-22 at [archive.today](/source/Archive.today) *The Detroit News,* August 9, 1996.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-aia_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-aia_4-1) [Eric J. Hill, John Gallagher, and the American Institute of Architects Detroit Chapter](https://books.google.com/books?id=sZGskamYzjUC), *AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture,* Wayne State University Press, 2002, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-8143-3120-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8143-3120-3), p.84

1. **[^](#cite_ref-dcc_5-0)** ["Facilities"](http://www.thedetroitclub.com/facilities.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080309214144/http://www.thedetroitclub.com/facilities.html) March 9, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) from the Detroit Club

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Detroit Club](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Detroit_Club).

- [The Detroit Club (official website)](http://www.thedetroitclub.com/)

- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/therealdetroitclub/)

- [Go inside the Detroit Club, citys oldest most historic club reopens to public after renovations](https://www.clickondetroit.com/uniquely-detroit/go-inside-the-detroit-club-citys-oldest-most-historic-club-reopens-to-public-after-renovations) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20180708075636/https://www.clickondetroit.com/uniquely-detroit/go-inside-the-detroit-club-citys-oldest-most-historic-club-reopens-to-public-after-renovations) 2018-07-08 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine)

v t e Architecture of metropolitan Detroit Skyscrapers 10 tallest Renaissance Center One Detroit Center Penobscot RenCen Towers 100-400 Guardian Book Tower 150 West Jefferson 20 tallest Fisher Cadillac Tower Stott One Woodward Avenue McNamara Federal DTE Energy Broderick 211 West Fort Buhl Westin Book Cadillac Hotel Hollywood Casino 30 tallest First National Cadillac Centre RenCen Towers 500-600 1001 Woodward Millender Center AT&T Chrysler House Jeffersonian Blue Cross Blue Shield Coleman A. Young Municipal Center 40 tallest Penobscot Annex Lafayette East Riverfront Tower 300 Riverfront Tower 200 Whitney Washington Square Riverfront Tower 100 Water Board Washington Boulevard 50 tallest Riverside Hotel Fort Shelby Hotel Industrial-Stevens Ford Leland Fyfe Grand Park Centre Compuware United Artists Theatre Michigan Central Station Cadillac Place 60 tallest MGM Grand Detroit MotorCity Casino Hotel The Qube Maccabees Fort Washington Plaza One Kennedy Square Detroit Free Press Metropolitan Wardell 70–195 tallest Kales Masonic Temple Town Apartments Michigan Building Park Avenue House Penobscot Building (1905) 1212 Griswold Belcrest Griswold Building Harvard Square Professional Plaza Tower Vinton Detroit Building Fox Theatre Lawyers Building Levin United States Courthouse Marquette New Center Fisher Cadillac Place Argonaut Building Henry Ford Hospital New Center Building East side Lafayette Park Jeffersonian Detroit Towers The Kean The Whittier Harbortown Apartments Suburban Southfield Town Center American Center Top of Troy Tower Plaza Adoba Hotel Parklane Towers Chrysler Headquarters Low rise under 10 stories selected Downtown 411 Bankers Trust Cass Building Detroit Athletic Club Detroit Club Detroit Cornice and Slate Fillmore Harmonie Centre Harmonie Club L. B. King Opera House Music Hall Merchants One Griswold Street Wayne County Building Wright-Kay Savoyard Centre Midtown Orchestra Hall Metropolitan Center Phoenix Group Old Main Rackham Building McGregor Memorial Conference Center Verona Wayne State University Buildings Clay Office North University of Detroit Mercy Detroit Golf Club East side Alden Park Towers Brewery Park Coronado El Tovar Garden Court Milner Arms Riverwalk Hotel Pasadena Suburban Country Club of Detroit The Dearborn Inn GM Technical Center Royal Park Hotel Inn at St. John's Townsend Hotel Parks and gardens Belle Isle Cranbrook Campus Martius Grand Circus Metroparks Matthaei Botanical Gardens Riverfront parks Detroit Zoo Museums and libraries Cranbrook Educational Community Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Detroit Historical Museum Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit Public Library Detroit Science Center Edsel and Eleanor Ford House Fair Lane Ford Piquette Avenue Plant The Henry Ford Meadowbrook Hall Pewabic Pottery Southfield Public Library University of Michigan Museum of Art Religious landmarks Religious landmarks Performance centers Theatres and performing arts venues Neighborhood Historic Districts Residential Arden Park-East Boston Atkinson Avenue Beverly Road Boston-Edison Brush Park Canton Township MPS Corktown East Ferry East Grand Boulevard East Jefferson Avenue Grosse Pointe Highland Heights-Stevens' Sub. Indian Village Layafette Park Northville Palmer Park Apartments Palmer Park Blvd. Palmer Woods Park Avenue Rosedale Gardens Rosedale Park Sherwood Forest Virginia Park Warren-Prentis West Canfield West Village Willis-Selden Woodbridge Woodward East (See also: Historic homes) Mixed-use Adams Street Broadway Avenue Capitol Park Cass Park Cass-Davenport Congress Street Cultural Center Eastern Market Eastside Cemetery Financial District Grand Boulevard Grand Circus Grand River Avenue Gratiot Avenue Griswold Street Greektown West Jefferson Avenue Jefferson Chalmers Larned Street Michigan Avenue Monroe Avenue New Amsterdam New Center Piquette Avenue Randolph Street Shelby Street State Street Sugar Hill University–Cultural Center Washington Boulevard Wayne State University West Vernor-Junction West Vernor-Lawndale West Vernor-Springwells Lower Woodward Midtown Woodward Woodward Avenue See also: List of tallest buildings in Detroit

v t e National Register of Historic Places in Wayne County, Michigan Historic districts Annapolis Park Historic District Arden Park–East Boston Historic District Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Bagley-West Vernor Historic District Belle Isle Park Beverly Road Historic District Boston–Edison Historic District Broadway Avenue Historic District Brush Park Historic District Capitol Park Historic District Cass–Davenport Historic District Cass Park Historic District Cherry Hill Historic District Church of the Transfiguration Historic District Corktown Historic District Cultural Center Historic District Detroit Financial District Eastern Market Historic District East Ferry Avenue Historic District East Grand Boulevard Historic District East River Road Historic District Eastside Historic Cemetery District Fort Wayne Grand Circus Park Historic District Greektown Historic District Grosse Pointe Academy Grosse Pointe South High School Helen Newberry Nurses Home Highland Heights–Stevens' Subdivision Historic District Indian Village Historic District Jefferson–Chalmers Historic Business District Jefferson Intermediate School John and Edna Truesdell Fischer Farmstead Jos. Campau Historic District Louis G. Redstone Residential Historic District Lower Woodward Avenue Historic District Medbury's–Grove Lawn Subdivisions Historic District Midtown Woodward Historic District Michigan Avenue Historic Commercial District Monroe Avenue Commercial Buildings New Amsterdam Historic District New Center Commercial Historic District Northville Historic District Norwayne Historic District Palmer Park Apartment Building Historic District Palmer Park Boulevard Apartments District Palmer Woods Historic District Park Avenue Historic District Piquette Avenue Industrial Historic District Randolph Street Commercial Buildings Historic District Rosedale Gardens Historic District Rosedale Park Historic District St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Parish Complex St. Florian Church Springwells Park Historic District Sugar Hill Historic District Virginia Park Historic District Warren–Prentis Historic District Washington Boulevard Historic District Wayne State University Buildings West Canfield Historic District West Vernor–Junction Historic District West Vernor–Lawndale Historic District West Vernor–Springwells Historic District West Village Historic District Willis–Selden Historic District Woodbridge Historic District Woodward East Historic District Historic properties Albert Kahn House Alden Park Towers Alexander Chapoton House Alexander Chene House Alger Theater Alpha House Amity Lodge No. 335 Temple — Spiritual Israel Church and Its Army Temple Antietam Street–Grand Trunk Railroad Bridge Architects Building Arthur M. Parker House Bagley Memorial Fountain Barlum Tower Belcrest Apartments Benjamin and Mary Ann Bradford House Bernard Ginsburg House Birwood Wall Cadieux School Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House Carlton D. Wall House Cary Building Cass Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church Cass Motor Sales Cathedral Church of St. Paul Complex Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Central United Methodist Church Central Woodward Christian Church Chapel of St. Theresa–the Little Flower Chatsworth Apartments Century Building and Little Theatre Charles G. Curtiss Sr. House Charles J. and Ingrid V. (Frendberg) Koebel House Charles Lang Freer House Charles Trombly House Charles Trowbridge House Checker Cab Taxi Garage and Office Building Chestnut Street–Grand Trunk Railroad Bridge Christ Church Chapel Christ Church Detroit Col. Frank J. Hecker House Commandant's Quarters Coronado Apartments Croul–Palms House Crescent Brass and Pin Company Building David and Elizabeth Bell Boldman House David Whitney House Dearborn City Hall Complex Dearborn Country Club Dearborn Inn and Colonial Homes Defer Elementary School Detroit Association of Women's Clubs Building Detroit Club Detroit–Columbia Central Office Building Detroit Cornice and Slate Company Building Detroit Edison Company Willis Avenue Station Detroit–Leland Hotel Detroit Masonic Temple Detroit Naval Armory Detroit News Complex Detroit Savings Bank Southwest Branch Detroit Yacht Club Dry Dock Engine Works–Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex Duane Doty School Dunbar Hospital East River Road–North Hickory Canal Bridge Eddystone Hotel Edmund Atkinson School Edwin Denby High School Edwin S. George Building Edson, Moore and Company Building Eighth Precinct Police Station Elisha Taylor House El Tovar Apartments Elwood Bar Elizabeth Cleveland Intermediate School Engine House No. 11 Engine House No. 18 Ephraim and Emma Woodworth Truesdell House Farwell Building Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Building Ferry Street–Thorofare Canal Bridge Fisher and New Center Buildings First Baptist Church of Detroit First Congregational Church First Congregational Church First Federal Building First Presbyterian Church First Unitarian Church of Detroit First United Methodist Church Ford–Bacon House Ford Valve Plant Fort Street Presbyterian Church Fort Shelby Hotel Fort Street–Pleasant Street and Norfolk & Western Railroad Viaduct Francis Palms Building & State Theater Frances Harper Inn Franklin H. Walker House Frederick K. Stearns House Frederick Stearns Building Frederic M. Sibley Lumber Company Office Building Garden Bowl Garden Court Apartments General Motors Research Laboratory George and Mary Pine Smith House George P. MacNichol House George W. Loomer House Gethsemane Evangelical Lutheran Church Gibraltar Road–Waterway Canal Bridge Globe Tobacco Building Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church Grace Ingersoll McGraw House Grand Army of the Republic Building Grande Ballroom Graybar Electric Company Building Great Lakes Manor Greenfield Union School Greenmead Farms Griswold Building Grosse Pointe Memorial Church Grosse Pointe Central Library Grosse Pointe War Memorial Grosse Pointe Yacht Club Hamtramck Stadium Harmonie Centre (formerly the Breitmeyer–Tobin Building) Henry Ford Hospital Henry Ford Square House Henry W. Baker House Herman Strasburg House Hibbard Apartment Building Highland Park General Hospital Highland Park Presbyterian Church Hook and Ladder House No. 5–Detroit Fire Department Repair Shop Hotel Stevenson Hudson–Evans House Hunter House Hurlbut Memorial Gate Hull's Trace North Huron River Corduroy Segment Immaculata High School James A. Garfield School Jefferson Avenue–Huron River and Harbin Drive–Silver Creek Canal Bridges Jefferson Hall Jerome H. Remick and Company Building John and Eliza Barr Patterson House John and Emma Lacey Eberts House John Harvey House John N. Bagley House John T. Woodhouse House Joseph Campau House Kingston Arms Apartments Lancaster and Waumbek Apartments Lawyers Building L. B. King and Company Building League of Catholic Women Building Lee Plaza Hotel Lilley Road–Lower Rouge River Bridge Lincoln Park Post Office Luther Burbank Elementary School Maccabees Building Majestic Theater Malcolm X House Manchester Apartments Mariners' Church Marwood Apartments Marx House Marygrove College McKinley Elementary School Mellus Newspapers Building Merchants Building Metropolitan United Methodist Church Michigan Bell and Western Electric Warehouse Michigan Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument Michigan State Fair Riding Coliseum, Dairy Cattle Building, and Agricultural Building Millwood Apartments Moross House Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Michigan Mulford T. Hunter House Nacirema Club Nellie Leland School New Bethel Baptist Church North Woodward Congregational Church Orchestra Hall Orrin and Roxanne Fairman Kinyon House Orsel and Minnie McGhee House Orson Everitt House Ossian H. Sweet House Park Avenue House Parke-Davis and Company Pharmaceutical Company Plant Parke Lane Road–Thorofare Canal Bridge Pasadena Apartments Paul Harvey Deming House Penn Central Station Pere Gabriel Richard Elementary School Perry McAdow House Philetus W. Norris House Philip A. Hart Plaza Phillip and Maria Hasselbach Dingledey House Pilgrim and Puritan Apartment Complex Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company Detroit Warehouse Ponchartrain Apartments Pontchartrain Club/Town House Apartments Prentis Building and DeRoy Auditorium Complex Professional Plaza Tower Redford Theatre Building Redford Township District No. 5 School River Terrace Apartments Robert M. and Matilda (Kitch) Grindley House Rosa L. (McCauley) and Raymond Parks Flat Sacred Heart Major Seminary Sacred Heart Church St. Albertus Roman Catholic Church Saint Andrew's Memorial Episcopal Church Ste. Anne Roman Catholic Church Complex St. Bonaventure Monastery St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church St. Catherine of Siena Roman Catholic Church St. James Episcopal Church St. John's Episcopal Church St. John's–St. Luke's Evangelical Church St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church St. Joseph's Episcopal Church (1883) St. Joseph's Episcopal Church (1926) St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church Saint Mary of Redford Catholic Church Saint Matthew Parish Saint Paul Catholic Church Complex Saint Paul Manor Apartments Saints Peter and Paul Academy Saints Peter and Paul Church Saint Rita Apartments St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Roman Catholic Church St. Theresa of Avila Roman Catholic Church St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church Samuel D. Holcomb School Samuel L. Smith House Scarab Club Second Baptist Church of Detroit Sheldon Inn Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church Sibley House Sidney D. Miller Junior High and High School Sojourner Truth Homes Somerset Apartments South Pointe Drive–Frenchman's Creek Bridge S. S. Kresge World Headquarters Starkweather School State Savings Bank Stuber–Stone Building Sweetest Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church Temple Baptist Church – King Solomon Baptist Church Temple Beth-El (Bonstelle Theatre) Temple Beth-El (Bethel Community Transformation Center) The Clay School The Harmonie Club The Kean The Palms The Players The Wardell Third Precinct Police Station Thomas and Isabella Moore Clyde House Thomas and Maria Blackman Bartlett House Thomas A. Parker House Thomas M. Cooley High School Thomas S. Sprague House Thompson Home Tiger Stadium Tivadar and Dorothy Balogh House Trinity Episcopal Church Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church Complex Trinity United Methodist Church Tushiyah United Hebrew School – Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church US 12 Bridges U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House United States Immigration Station United States Postal Service Roosevelt Park Station United States Post Office Plymouth Station Vanity Ballroom Building Vaughn's Book Store Verona Apartments Vinton Building Waltz Road–Huron River Bridge Warren Motor Car Company Building Wayne County Building Weil and Company – Gabriel Richard Building West Jefferson Avenue–Rouge River Bridge West Side Dom Polski WGPR-TV Studio Whittier Hotel William and Margot Kessler House William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House William C. Boydell House William E. Higginbotham Elementary School William H. Wells House William Hawkins Ferry House Wilson Barn Wilson Theatre WJBK-TV Studios Building Women's City Club Woodward Avenue Presbyterian Church Wyandotte Odd Fellows Temple National Historic Landmarks Detroit Industry Murals Fair Lane Fisher Building Ford Piquette Avenue Plant Ford River Rouge Complex Fox Theatre Building Highland Park Ford Plant General Motors Building Guardian Building Mies van der Rohe Residential District, Lafayette Park McGregor Memorial Conference Center Parke-Davis Research Laboratory Pewabic Pottery The Henry Ford Former listings Cass Technical High School Chateau Frontenac Apartments Dodge Mansion Grand Riviera Theater Harper Hospital Lincoln Motor Company Plant Park Avenue Hotel Santa Fe Apartments Columbia (steamboat) Ste. Claire (steamboat) Woodward Avenue Baptist Church See also: National Register of Historic Places listings (Downtown and Midtown Detroit, Rest of Detroit, Rest of Wayne County) and List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Detroit Club](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Club) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Club?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.