Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Historic yacht club in Grosse Pointe, Michigan

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

Burgee

Short name| GPYC
Founded| 1914; 111 years ago (1914)
Location| Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan, U.S.
Commodore| Jason Grobbel
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

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United States historic place

Grosse Pointe Yacht Club

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Location in Wayne County

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Location in Michigan

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Location in United States

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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; -82.87205
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; 10 years ago (January 7, 2015)

The club was initially founded as the Grosse Pointe Ice Boat Club in 1910 by Frank Verheyden. However, in 1918, the club was converted into the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club.

The Mediterranean Revival clubhouse was conceptualized by Boston architect Guy Lowell, who was commissioned in the 1920s to design the building. Lowell died at sea before his plans were fully developed, but his concept of the clubhouse was posthumously adopted for the club.

After several budget cutbacks and cost overruns, the clubhouse officially opened on July 4, 1929. The original clubhouse included a ball room and several dining rooms, with the largest being able to seat 250. However, increasing budget overruns left the clubhouse in debt during the Great Depression, causing it to foreclose despite attempts from the club to solicit more members. Several optimistic members purchased the club back from creditors during the beginning of World War II, as they predicted an increase in household spending power.

In 1984, the board hired Charles Terrence McCafferty & Associates for $1,000,000 to redesign the dining and social facilities of the clubhouse. After a successful proposal, Edward V. Monahan, Inc. was contracted to build the expansions.[2]

In 1997 the GPYC was named the “Number One Yacht Club in America” and is still considered among the best, earning "Club of Excellence" and "Distinguished Club" awards in consecutive years since 2019. The GPYC provides all the traditional amenities of a classic yacht club, including an Olympic-sized swimming pool, tennis and bowling facilities, as well as elegant dining rooms and a ballroom. Boating members enjoy the GPYC’s central location on Lake St. Clair and the club maintains a spacious deep-water marina with a private gas dock.

The GPYC maintains membership in the Detroit Regional Yachting Association and holds two annual DRYA-sanctioned sailing regattas each year in addition to numerous other sailing-related events and programs.

The bell tower serves as a navigational aid for boaters on the lake.[1]

## Clubhouse

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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 year round, an Olympic-size pool, several clay tennis courts, two lighted paddle tennis courts, pickle ball courts and a sailing center.[citation needed]

The club includes 3 dining rooms, a main ballroom, six bars, a pool deck and two wine cellars.[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] as well as an aerial view of the club's tower panning to encompass Lakeshore Dr. in a scene in the 1997 John Cusak film Grosse Pointe Blank.

## See also

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* Michigan portal

* Grosse Pointe
* St. Clair Shores

## Notes

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1. ^ a b Socia & Berschback 2001.
2. ^ Gallagher, James P. "A Beacon of Tradition: The Building of the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club" (PDF). Grosse Point Historical Society. Kelvin Publishing. Retrieved April 25, 2022.

## References

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

## Further reading

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* 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

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

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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
* 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
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* 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
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* 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
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* West Village Historic District
* Willis–Selden Historic District
* Woodbridge Historic District
* Woodward East Historic District

Historic properties|

* Albert Kahn House
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* Grand Army of the Republic Building
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* Saint Paul Catholic Church Complex
* Saint Paul Manor Apartments
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* Samuel L. Smith House
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* 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
* 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
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* The Players
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* Thomas and Isabella Moore Clyde House
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* Thomas M. Cooley High School
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* Thompson Home
* Tiger Stadium
* Tivadar and Dorothy Balogh House
* Trinity Episcopal Church
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* Tushiyah United Hebrew School – Scott Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church
* US 12 Bridges
* U.S. Post Office, Court House, and Custom House
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* Vanity Ballroom Building
* Verona Apartments
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* 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 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
* Edsel and Eleanor Ford House (Gaukler Pointe)
* 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|

* Chateau Frontenac Apartments
* Dodge Mansion
* Grand Riviera Theater
* Harper Hospital
* Lincoln Motor Company Plant
* Columbia (steamboat)
* Ste. Claire (steamboat)
* Woodward Avenue Baptist Church

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Wayne County, Michigan and List of National Historic Landmarks in Michigan

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Grosse Pointe

Geography

Municipalities|

* Grosse Pointe Park
* Grosse Pointe
* Grosse Pointe Farms
* Grosse Pointe Shores
* Grosse Pointe Woods

Historic districts|

* Beverly Road Historic District

Former entities|

* Grosse Pointe Township (Wayne County)
* Lake Township (Macomb County)

Education

Primary and secondary schools|

* Grosse Pointe PSS (Wayne County)
* Defer ES
* Richard ES
* Grosse Pointe North HS
* Grosse Pointe South HS
* South Lake SD (Macomb County)
* Grosse Pointe Academy
* University Liggett School
* St. Paul Catholic School

Libraries|

* Grosse Pointe Public Library

Other

Landmarks|

* Christ Church Chapel
* Country Club of Detroit
* Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
* Grosse Pointe Memorial Church
* Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
* Grosse Pointe War Memorial
* Saint Paul Catholic Church
* Carl E. and Alice Candler Schmidt House
* William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House
* John T. Woodhouse House
* Paul Harvey Deming House (demolished)

Transportation|

* SMART

This list is incomplete.

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

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