Detail view of the belfry and spire. Image: John F. Martin, Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination form
By Chris Symons
It stood through the Great Depression, it stood through World War II and now the 15-time winner of the “best yacht club in America” stands to be recognized.
The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club was recently named to the National Register of Historic Places, 101 years after the club’s inception. Located just outside of Detroit in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, the club hosts approximately 265 boats and has 800 members.
Platinum Clubs of America selected Grosse Pointe Yacht Club as the best yacht club in the country every year from 1997 to 2012.
The designation is exciting for the club, both as a source of pride and for the help it gives to preserve the buildings, said Grosse Pointe Yacht Club General Manager Tom Trainor. The 75,000 square foot property is a historical part of the community and is popular for formal events because of its landscaping and architecture.
The clubhouse was commissioned by Boston architect, Harvard graduate and world class sailor Guy Lowell, according to the national register nomination documents. Its architecture is in Mediterranean Revival, a style most popular between 1900 and 1930. The style models seaside villas found then in France, Spain and Italy.
The real benefit of being on the National Register of Historic Places is ensuring that the site will be preserved and not changed or remodeled, Trainor said. Besides recognizing it as a genuine historic location, making the list helps ensure financial stability for upkeep.
View of the exterior of the main dining room. Image: John F. Martin, Source:National Register of Historic Places nomination form
Nationally recognized historic sites receive a 20 percent tax credit for rehabilitation and upkeep, said Edson Beall, a historian with the National Register of Historic Places. This tax credit helps to preserve buildings and sites in their historical state, Beall said, and also to “shame them [the owners] from tearing it down.”
The National Register of Historic Places receives about 1,200 applications each year, Beall said. A site must meet at least one of four criteria: Association with a historical event, former residence of a significant person, distinctive architecture and design or potential archeological value. Typically a site must also be more than 50 years old, although there are exceptions, Beall said.
View of the oculus in the ceiling of the rotunda. Image: John F. Martin, Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination form
The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club qualified for its architecture and for being a part of historical Grosse Pointe, Beall said.
Operated by the National Park Service, the National Register of Historic Places is part of an effort to preserve historic locations and architecture across the country. According to the National Parks Service, the official list of the nation’s historic places has more than 90,000 registered locations.