For more than 134 years, the sandstone Romanesque Revival exterior of the venerable Detroit Club (founded in 1882) has dominated the corner of Cass Avenue and Fort Street downtown, just a quick stroll from Detroit’s riverfront promenade. While the Wilson Eyre-designed structure, now on the National Register of Historic Places, was completed in 1891, what’s been happening inside has been anything but static.
In the past few years, remodeling work on the formerly “members only” club — which has hosted many of the city’s male movers and shakers from the 19th and 20th centuries, including governors, U.S. presidents, and business luminaries — has been transformative, especially at its reimagined Bohemia restaurant.
General Manager Jenny Thomason is getting the word out that The Detroit Club is open to all — movers, shakers, and everyday people — with no membership required. Thomason notes that there’s a noticeably more casual style in the dining room that says, “Come on in,” reflecting the city’s changed restaurant scene.
“People don’t understand yet that they can come in,” Thomason says. “We want them to come in!”
Dinner service at the Bohemia restaurant, which features fine American cuisine balancing “classic flavors with contemporary flair,” runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, and from 5 to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Library, a full-service craft cocktail bar with light bites, is open Tuesdays-Saturdays.
The Detroit Club has joined the group of the city’s growing number of boutique hotels, with 21 “contemporary designed” queen and king suites in the $200-$600 range. Just a block from the Huntington Place convention center, the establishment also offers a full-service spa, aptly named Soak. But most Detroit Club guests will visit to enjoy Bohemia’s new menu, which debuted last fall.
Since the Covid pandemic, lunch crowds have been thinner as more downtown employees work remotely, Thomason says. So, the emphasis in this new space is creating a softer, more inviting atmosphere. “Instead of ordering just a filet, then a vegetable and potato, more meals are complete,” she adds.
Bohemia’s overall goal was to make the space feel more approachable. The restaurant has retained its rich wood interior, though, featuring accents that include works by local artist Tony Roko.
he new menu includes appetizers such as a charcuterie board, oysters, and sticky rum or hot butter chicken wings. Entrees range from a duck bolognese and truffle and wild mushroom gnocchi to an 8-ounce Snake River Farms filet with potato pave. Salad choices, ordered separately, include a burrata and beets salad with toasted walnuts, argula, and lemon thyme vinaigrette.
“We still want to keep the fine dining aspect, but we want to make it feel more approachable. I feel like our entire world has changed (since Covid), and we’re trying to curve with the change,” Thomason says. Lynn Uralli purchased the club, which was closed for several years, in 2014 and invested millions to renovate the facility — including the dining room, reception area, and guest rooms. It reopened in 2018.
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The Detroit Club thedetroitclub.com
