Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Burgee
Short name	GPYC
Founded	1914; 107 years ago (1914)
Location	Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, U.S.
Commodore	Ilja Vreeken
Website	Official website

The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club (GPYC) is a private yacht club located on the shore of Lake St. Clair in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.^[1] The club is a member of the Detroit Regional Yacht-racing Association (DRYA).^{[citation needed]} The clubhouse is prominently visible and a well-known landmark along the shoreline of the lake north of Detroit.

History[]

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Wayne County Location in Michigan Location in United States Show map of Wayne County, MichiganShow map of MichiganShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	788 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan 48236
Coordinates	42°26′06″N 82°52′19″W / 42.43488°N 82.87205°W / 42.43488; -82.87205Coordinates: 42°26′06″N 82°52′19″W / 42.43488°N 82.87205°W / 42.43488; -82.87205
Area	25 acres (10 ha)
Built	1928-1929
Built by	Corrick Brothers
Architect	Ralph Coolidge Henry and Henry P. Richmond Guy Lowell (concept)
Architectural style	Mediterranean Revival
NRHP reference No.	14001124
Added to NRHP	January 7, 2015; 6 years ago (January 7, 2015)

The Mediterranean Revival clubhouse was conceptualized by Boston architect Guy Lowell, who was commissioned in the 1920s to design the building. Tragically, Lowell died at sea before his plans were fully developed, but his concept of the clubhouse combining pale stucco walls and terracotta tiles, topped by a 187-foot steeple, was posthumously adopted for the club. The bell tower also serves as a navigational aid for boaters on the lake.^[1]

The clubhouse officially opened on July 4, 1929, virtually on the eve of the Great Depression.^{[citation needed]} The club was able to survive the depression and the Second World War, and it later saw a series of upgrades and enhancements to the premises that included an expanded kitchen, updated dining rooms, new recreational facilities, a modernized harbor, and a swimming pool.^{[citation needed]}

In 1997, the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club was accorded the ultimate honor of being named the "Number One Yacht Club in America" in a national survey of professional club managers.^{[citation needed]}

Clubhouse[]

The 131' UNITY leaving the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club harbor in 2009

Upon entering the club a 50-foot foyer leads to a rotunda which leads to points throughout the club.^{[citation needed]} A bronze sculpture of Wheeler Williams, entitled "Rhythm of the Waves", is a prominent feature.^{[citation needed]} Amenities of the club, besides the marina itself, include a bowling alley that is open from September until May, an Olympic-size pool, several clay tennis courts, two lighted paddle tennis courts and a sailing center.^{[citation needed]}

The club includes 3 restaurants, a main ballroom, four bars, a pool deck and Wine Cellar.^{[citation needed]} The club facilities have been updated and modernized several times.^{[citation needed]} The harbor has been enlarged and improved as membership quadrupled.^{[citation needed]} However, the architectural integrity of Lowell's original design and the views of Lake St. Clair have been maintained.^{[citation needed]} A view of the club is shown as a background to the rolling credits at the end of the movie Gran Torino (2008) starring Clint Eastwood.^{[citation needed]}

See also[]

• Grosse Pointe
• St. Clair Shores

Notes[]

References[]

• Socia, Madeleine; Berschback, Suzie (2001), Grosse Pointe: 1890 - 1930 (Images of America), Arcadia, ISBN 0-7385-0840-3

Further reading[]

• Fisher, Dale (2003), Building Michigan: A Tribute to Michigan's Construction Industry, Grass Lake, MI: Eyry of the Eagle Publishing, ISBN 1-891143-24-7

External links[]

• Media related to Grosse Pointe Yacht Club at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website