One good building: Carbon Athletic Club still kicking in Delray

Carbon Athletic Club

• Gates Street

Address: 111 Gates St., Detroit

History: Martin Malicki built the building in the 1910s. Carbon Athletic Club bought the building in 1947. Today, it’s a private club and bar with some public events.

Show and tell: Email aaron@outliermedia.org to share a favorite building, and we’ll dig into its history.

The Carbon Athletic Club has long been one of the city’s “best-kept secrets,” tucked away near the heavily industrialized neighborhood of Delray. The neighborhood has slowly faded, but the private club and bar has managed to hang on and attract younger members. This year, it’s even hosting live shows for the public .

The building hasn’t always housed the Carbon Athletic Club, but it has always been associated with alcohol. You can read all about the club’s colorful history on a blog by Eric Hergenreder, a member of the Historic Designation Advisory Board who photographs and writes about old Detroit buildings.

The building’s first owner, saloon keeper Martin Malicki , sold booze out of a different building on the same site starting in 1912 and built the structure that exists today sometime later that decade, according to Hergenreder. Malicki continued to ply his trade even after Michigan ushered in the Prohibition era with the passing of the Damon Act in 1917. Police raided his “near-beer” shop along with several others on Gates Street in 1922.

“One thing is for certain: Delray knew how to party,” Hergenreder wrote.

Carbon Athletic Club came to operate out of the building in 1947. The organization’s name comes from the many neighborhood sports teams that sprouted up around Detroit in the first half of the 20th century. Some were named after places where members worked, including the nearby Michigan Carbon Works, which produced charcoal out of animal bones .

Delray continued to decline over the decades as city planners phased out residential zoning in the neighborhood and few people moved there due to concerns about pollution.

The Carbon Athletic Club, however, is still around and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022.

Those interested in becoming members need a current member to sponsor them. Membership costs $50 for the first year and $30 every following year.

One good building: Carbon Athletic Club still kicking in Delray · Outlier Media