The Detroit Athletic Club in downtown Detroit has received the Emerald Club of the World award from BoardRoom magazine, the official trade publication of the Association of Private Club Directors.
The DAC received a near perfect 9.76 score on a 10-point scale for its membership experience, which includes a combination of its service, facilities, quality of staff, and management.
“This award reflects the professionalism, dedication, and consistency that is the heart of our club,” says Ted Gillary, executive manager of the DAC.
John Fornaro, publisher of BoardRoom magazine, says the club’s traditions, history, and heritage were considered in the selection process, along with memorable events and famous tournaments. Other notable clubs earning the Emerald Club award were the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., the City Club of Los Angeles, and the New York Athletic Club.
He says a committee nomination, site visit, audit, and report were all part of the award process. Individual interviews were also conducted with DAC Assistant General Manager Charles Johnson; Membership Director Katherine Levin; Executive Chef Kevin Brennan; Athletics Director Rob Barr; Director of Overnight Rooms Sean Brown; and Tranquility Spa Director Tiffany Gennety.
The DAC was originally established in 1887 by a group of young athletes at the original clubhouse on Woodward Avenue, just north of the Whitney Restaurant. The DAC prepared for a new downtown clubhouse in 1913 when a group of automotive and industrial leaders including Hugh Chalmers, Henry Joy, and others commissioned noted architect Albert Kahn to design the new six-story classic structure on Madison Avenue, which opened in 1915.
Today, the DAC has about 4,000 members. The club recently completed a number of renovations and additions, including a new seventh floor offering a Stadium Club and private banquet rooms, a new east entrance, renovated hotel rooms, a renovated, full-service spa, the new Madison Cafe, a revamped outdoor pavilion area, among other improvements.
