Detroit By Night
Detroit Chop House
Scarab Club
Detroit's most exclusive social cliche began as the Hopkin club in 1907, a closely-knit group of art lovers who liked to meet regularly to discuss art, socialize, and share a meal together. By 1913 the group was reformed and changed its name to the Scarab Club.
In 1928 a permanent structure was built to help meet these goals in the Northern Italian Renaissance style by architect and member Lancelot Sukert. The exterior mosaic tiles 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 Fredricks and Pablo Davis. Other beams were painted to depict events in the club's history. The lounge also contains a fireplace with a mural depicting different levels of club membership, painted by Paul Honore. Original mica and metal lighting and furnishings complete the decor.
Toreador elder Alicia Lee is proud of her personal contribution to Detroit. She has been the Scarab's secret patron from its inception and has hosted numerous kindred gatherings here under the guise of the public events. For example, the Club's themed costumed balls, held from 1917 to 1950, were the single most important social event in Detroit each year. Since then, these have become private affairs, closed to the general public to facilitate a larger kindred attendance. However, the Scarab still sponsors some public events held elsewhere, such as the annual Exhibition of Michigan Artists at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The Scarab Club Gold Medal which recognizes the lifetime achievement of the greatest contributors to the arts in Detroit is awarded each December at the Gold Medal Exhibition and Dinner. It should be noted that younger Scarab artists of particularly promising ability are considered for a more secretive award, joining the Toreador ranks.
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