Detroit Club: The Life of a Social Club in Detroit
A collaboration between the Eastern Michigan University Archives and the Eastern Michigan University College of Arts and Sciences for the 2021-2022 "Detroit" Theme Year.
The Detroit Club collection at the Eastern Michigan University Archives consists of hundreds of documents and photographs. Dating from shortly after the inception of th Detroit Club in 1882 through the beginning of the 21st century, the collection offers a unique, long term view of the Club. As the premier social club in the heart of Detroit, the Club long served and hosted the elite of Michigan.
The Detroit Club's Final Act
After years of declining membership and financial hurdles associated with an aging and flooded building, the Detroit Club Building was sold at auction in December 2013. Housed in the Eastern Michigan University Archives are the remaining documents associated with the original Detroit Club founded in 1882. The current owners of the building have reopened the building and branded a new Detroit social club with a direct connection to the Detroit Club. The original Detroit Club founded by Samuel Douglas and James T. Campbell has no connection to this rebranded "Detroit Club" that opened its doors for the first time in 2018. Following the sale of the Detroit Club Building in December 2013, the remaining members of the Detroit Club, with a direct connection to names like Ford, Chrysler, Packard, and Whitney, dissolved the organization founded nearly 130 years before. Past Detroit Club President John Booth II, responding to concerns that documents were being damaged during renovations, helped secure the transfer of the remaining documents to the EMU Archives for preservation.
Categories
Explore the categories of the Detroit Club Project
