Major Repairs Planned for Former Detroit Boat Club
Belle Isle Boat House launches 5 year capital campaign
A deteriorating building at the foot of the Belle Isle Bridge is expected to get a facelift. After years of neglect, the historic Detroit Boat Club, now called the Belle Isle Boat House, is launching a 5 million dollar capital campaign. As one of the oldest rowing clubs in the world, Friends of Detroit Rowing has been operating out of the location for over 150 years. Ryan Abney is events manager for the Boat House. She says the facility needs many millions worth of repairs, but the rowing club has been able to renovate enough to offer the building for events.
“The monies that we make from those events, we use to renovate the building. We have about 50 bookings through the end of 2018, mostly weddings” -Ryan Abney, Belle Isle Boat House
She says a 5 Million dollar capital campaign is being launched to help pay for repairs to the historic building.
“We have some exterior structural stuff that needs to be done, stucco work, also repairing sections of the roof. Also done some infrastructure work with plumbing and electrical. And then once we’ve handled that, our plan is to move interior”
The new capital campaign kicks off tomorrow (SAT) with a “Monte Carlo Night” fundraiser at the Belle Isle Boat House. Abney says tickets are still available.
