Encyclopedia Of Detroit
Grosse Pointe Yacht Club
The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club (GPYC) dates to 1914 when 25 men formed a club to pursue their interests in ice boating and sailing on Lake St. Clair. The clubhouse was designed by Guy Lowell, a Boston architect and yachtsman, and was dedicated on July 4, 1929. Its Italian Renaissance façade with its 187 ft. bell tower is a well-recognized landmark to boaters around the lake, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
In 1997 the GPYC was named the “Number One Yacht Club in America” and is still considered among the best. 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 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, such as an adult sailing school, exclusively for its members.
Despite the region’s recent struggling economy, the club continues to boast more than 900 members and over the years the architectural integrity of Lowell’s original design and the spectacular view of Lake St. Clair have been meticulously preserved.
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