Detroit Club building gets new owners: Club stays as tenant; events now welcome

By Sherri Welch

After struggling financially for more than 16 years amid declining membership, The Detroit Club last week sold its historic Cass Avenue building to a longtime member and his wife.

Nick and Lorna Abraham, co-owners of Woodward Parking Co. Inc. and several other buildings in Detroit and partners in Handy Parking Inc., bought the 35,000-square-foot Romanesque Revival building and its contents for an undisclosed amount July 11.

The Abrahams plan to open the building to the public in about a month for showers, wedding receptions, banquets, meetings and auto show events -- once its halls, furniture and memorabilia are cleaned and polished and the 1892 building, a registered national landmark, has a new roof.

"It's a beautiful building ... it was really wonderful in its day," said Lorna Abraham, vice president of Woodward Parking.

"It needs to have new life, and it needs to be saved."

The couple plan to keep Detroit's Opus One restaurant on as caterer for large events and is working with owner James Kokas to set rental rates for the building, she said.

During its 119-year history, the building played a pivotal role as a private, secure place to meet away from the public eye.

Continued at: http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...-tenant-events

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Jim Kokas is a good guy. I used to be a busboy for his folks at the Chambertin. Best wishes on this new project.

Ditto on Jim. He catered our wedding last October and we are still hearing positive remarks about the service and food. Best part was he was the least expensive and we were able to carry in all of our own liquor! This is good news. Highly recommend Opus To Go

Or you can check out the Google cache.

I know im paranoid but i instantly panicked when i saw the dc was purchased by a parking company.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rencense

I know im paranoid but i instantly panicked when i saw the dc was purchased by a parking company.

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in this case it's a blessing; they own the parking lot directly across cass from the club, so they didn't require parking for the deal.

This is a beautiful building, and really brightens a farily nondescript stretch. Hopefully it's is good hands.

I'm glad to see the new owners are interested and committed to preserving and maintaining this fantastic historical building. It's really too bad the guideway for the People Movers runs right along its facade.....

I was there for a Preservation Wayne meeting there about 10 years ago. It really is a fabulous building. The crown jewel has to be the 2 story ballroom [[for lack of a better name)... with magnificent detailing... what caught my eye was the magnificent entrance doorway moldings... like something out of an Italian Renaissance Palazzio. Would make an excellent banquetting facility.

Although the People Mover spoils the view of many building facades [[such as the Broadway facade of the Detroit Opera House)... the Detroit Club looks best from the PM cars themselves.

I agree Gistok, the DPM provides some stellar views of the Detroit Club and countless other downtown landmarks. You get an extra long look at the Detroit Club while sitting in the Fort/Cass station.

Anyone know why the Detroit Club was linked by above-alley connection to the Free Press building?

I've never been inside but I do remember watching the biggest rat scurrying back and forth across Cass as if he couldn't decide whether he wanted to stay at the Detroit Club or leave on the People Mover.

There was an arrangement for a dining room in the Free Press building for many years. That was the reason for the bridge across the alleyway.

The Ladies dining room was in the Free Press building.

...what is the history of this place?

There used to be three places in Detroit where you could double-park and even triple park with police blessing [[Stationary Traffic Officers were assigned to all three locations): The Cadillac [[Sheraton Cadillac and whatever names it had then); the Detroit Athletic Club; and the Detroit Club. Of course, you had to be 'somebody' to double park, but the coppers knew who 'was' and who 'wasn't'.

Most rank-and-file coppers viewed those Stationary Traffic guys as friggin' valets. I suspect the perks were something, though.