Scarab Club

Last updated
Scarab Club
The Scarab Club.JPG
Location217 Farnsworth Street
Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°21′35.46″N83°3′46.15″W / 42.3598500°N 83.0628194°W / 42.3598500; -83.0628194 Coordinates: 42°21′35.46″N83°3′46.15″W / 42.3598500°N 83.0628194°W / 42.3598500; -83.0628194
Built1928
ArchitectLancelot Sukert
Architectural style Arts and Crafts
NRHP reference No. 79001176 [1] [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPNovember 20, 1979
Designated MSHSJuly 26, 1974 [3]

The Scarab Club (commonly referred to as Historic Scarab Club of Detroit) is an artists' club, gallery, and studio in the Cultural Center Historic District of Detroit, Michigan, located at 217 Farnsworth Street, near the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Science Center. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1974 [3] and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. [1]

Contents

The early years

The Scarab Club was formed in 1907. It began as an informal association named the Hopkin Club after the founder, marine painter Robert Hopkin. [4] The members met regularly to talk art, eat dinner, and critique paintings. The club's vision since inception was

"to promote the mutual acquaintance of art lovers and art workers; to stimulate and guide toward practical expression the artistic sense of the people of Detroit; to advance the knowledge and love of the fine arts in every possible manner; and to maintain a clubhouse for entertainment and social purposes as well as to provide working and exhibit facilities for artist members."

Renamed the "Scarab Club" in 1913, the club grew in popularity, and member Lancelot Sukert, a Detroit architect, designed the current clubhouse, [5] which opened its doors on October 5, 1928. The interior of the club is decorated with objets d'art created and contributed by members over the decades. The building showcases exquisite tile sculptures from Pewabic Pottery, including the Scarab Club logo. The ceiling beams of the lounge once served as the club's guest book, and poet Vachel Lindsay signed as one of the first visitors. Since then, signing the beam has become a ceremonial honor, and the autographs of artists including John Sloan, Diego Rivera, Pablo Davis, Marcel Duchamp, Norman Rockwell, and John Sinclair appear on the beams.

American artist, inventor, and automobile pioneer George Schuyler Hodges, of Pontiac, Michigan, was a charter member of the club. [6]

The club's themed costumed balls, held from 1917 to 1950,[ citation needed ] were the single most important social event in Detroit each year.[ citation needed ] Life magazine covered the 1937 event with a two-page photo spread, and The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press also gave the annual balls two pages in their photo sections.[ citation needed ] Radio station WJR broadcast live from the 1937 "Scarabean Cruise" ball.[ citation needed ]

For many years The Book Club of Detroit held its regular meetings at the Scarab Club. [7]

The annual Exhibition of Michigan Artists at the Detroit Institute of Arts was originated by the Scarab Club in 1911.[ citation needed ] In 1915 the Scarab Club Prize became the top award and in 1917 the first Scarab Club Gold Medal was awarded.[ citation needed ] The gold medal is still the club's most prestigious award, given each December at the Gold Medal Exhibition and Dinner.

The building

The clubhouse was built in 1928 in the Arts and Crafts style by architect and member Lancelot Sukert. The exterior mosaic tiles, which appeared in 1928 renderings, were not completed until the 1980s, when they were finished by W.P.A. muralist and member Edgar Yaeger, who was a junior member of the club in 1928. The ceramic scarab embedded over the front entrance was designed by sculptor Horace Colby and fired at Pewabic Pottery.

The original paneled wood entry in the front hints at intrigue inside, while a brick-walled courtyard in the rear of the building conjures up more pastoral images, with its exquisite flower gardens, fountain and statuary. The club contains several galleries and lounges, as well as six working artist studios. The second floor lounge is unique for its massive ceiling beams painted by members in 1928 and signed by more than 230 artists since, including Diego Rivera, Norman Rockwell, Marshall Fredericks and Pablo Davis. Other beams were painted to depict events in the club's history. The lounge also contains a fireplace with mural depicting different levels of club membership, painted by Paul Honoré. Original mica and metal lighting and furnishings complete the decor.

Related Research Articles

Pewabic Pottery United States historic place

Pewabic Pottery is a ceramic studio and school at 10125 East Jefferson Avenue, Detroit, Michigan. Founded in 1903, the studio is known for its iridescent glazes, some of which grace notable buildings such as the Shedd Aquarium and Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. The pottery continues in operation today, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Guardian Building United States historic place

The Guardian Building is a landmark skyscraper in the United States, located at 500 Griswold Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Financial District. The Guardian is a class-A office building owned by Wayne County, Michigan and serves as its headquarters. Built in 1928 and finished in 1929, the building was originally called the Union Trust Building and is a bold example of Art Deco architecture, including art moderne designs. At the top of the Guardian Building's spire is a large U.S. flag, complementing the four smaller flags atop nearby 150 West Jefferson. The building has undergone recent award-winning renovations. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 29, 1989, and the associated Detroit Financial District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Guardian building includes retail and a tourist gift shop.

Penobscot Building Skyscraper in Detroit

The Greater Penobscot Building, commonly known as the Penobscot Building, is a class-A office tower in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. The 1928 Art Deco building is located in the heart of the Detroit Financial District. The Penobscot is a hub for the city's wireless Internet zone and fiber-optic network.

Renaissance City Apartments High rise apartment in Detroit

The Renaissance City Apartments is an upscale residential skyscraper located at 555 Brush Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is one of Detroit's tallest residential buildings, standing at 33 floors. It was constructed in 1985 in the Modern architectural style adjacent to the similarly designed Courtyard by Marriott – Downtown Detroit.

Tom Phardel is an American artist. Some of his works and fine ceramics are owned by a number of important American institutions, including the Everson Museum in Syracuse, the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Dennos Museum Center.

Steve "Pablo" Davis was an American artist, lifelong communist activist and Detroit community organizer. He was the last living member of the team of artists who worked with Diego Rivera on the Detroit Industry mural which is in the central courtyard, Rivera Court, of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts

The Music Hall Center for Performing Arts is a 1,731-seat theatre located in the city's theatre district at 350 Madison Street in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was built in 1928 as the Wilson Theatre, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1976, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Marcus R. Burrowes (1874–1953) was a notable Detroit architect. He served one year in the position of president of the Michigan Society of Architects and was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He was widely known in southeast Michigan, especially during the second and third decades of the twentieth century, for his recreation of English Revival style buildings.

Mary Chase Perry Stratton

Mary Chase Perry Stratton was an American ceramic artist. She was a co-founder, along with Horace James Caulkins, of Pewabic Pottery, a form of ceramic art used to make architectural tiles.

Gwen Lux

Gwen Lux Creighton professionally Gwen Lux, (1908–1986) was an American sculptor known for her abstraction and frequently constructed from polyester resin concrete and metals. She was among America’s pioneer women sculptors.

Cultural Center Historic District (Detroit, Michigan) United States historic place

The Cultural Center Historic District is a historic district located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, which includes the Art Center : the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Horace H. Rackham Education Memorial Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district contains several cultural attractions.

<i>Detroit Industry Murals</i> Series of frescoes by Diego Rivera

The Detroit Industry Murals (1932–1933) are a series of frescoes by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera, consisting of twenty-seven panels depicting industry at the Ford Motor Company and in Detroit. Together they surround the interior Rivera Court in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Painted between 1932 and 1933, they were considered by Rivera to be his most successful work. On 23 April 2014, the Detroit Industry Murals were designated by the Department of Interior as a National Historic Landmark.

Detroit Womens City Club United States historic place

The Women's City Club is a women's club located at 2110 Park Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Park Avenue Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979.

Harmonie Club (Detroit, Michigan) United States historic place

The Harmonie Club is a club located at 267 East Grand River Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House United States historic place

The William B. and Mary Chase Stratton House is a private house located at 938 Three Mile Dr. in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

Roy Charles Gamble

Roy Charles Gamble was an American impressionist painter, muralist, and portraitist born in Detroit, Michigan.

Patricia Hill Burnett, born Patricia Hill, was an American portrait artist and women's rights activist.

Leon Alexander Makielski was an American artist and art instructor, best known for his French Impressionist inspired landscapes and distinct portraits of his contemporaries. He resided in Michigan for the majority of his life and was extremely active in the artist communities of both Detroit and Ann Arbor.

George Schuyler Hodges

George Schuyler Hodges was an American artist, inventor, and automobile industry pioneer. He invented and held patents for some of the first modern cameras, lawn mowers, and breech-loading firearms. He was a fixture of society in Detroit where he was a charter member of the Scarab Club and built the Pine Lake Country Clubhouse, Rotunda Inn and several other buildings in the neighborhood.

Marie Woo is a Chinese-American ceramicist and educator.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ↑ http://www.scarabclub.com/history [ dead link ]
  3. 1 2 "Scarab Club". Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
  4. ↑ Reed, Patricia; Renner, Christine; & Crane, Michael E. The Scarab Club. Arcadia Publishing (2006), p. 9.
  5. ↑ Eckert, Kathryn Bishop. The Campus Guide: Cranbrook. New York: Princeton Architectural Press (2001), p. 172.
  6. ↑ "G.S. Hodges Dies at 89; Artist and Inventor". The Detroit Free Press. April 14, 1953. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Thomas Schlientz, Detroit: Book expert was also master of spoken word". Detroit News. 26 March 2006. ProQuest   404354578.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.