The future of the historic Belle Isle Boathouse (BIBH) in Detroit, MI is uncertain. 

The DNR has been granted $2 million in ARPA funds to use for projects on Belle Isle. To shirk the future responsibility of maintaining the boathouse, they want to use the funds to demolish the structure. This would be a shameful loss of a historic architectural gem in one of America's most iconic public parks.

We are calling on members of the community, historians, architectural experts, and anyone with an appreciation for heritage to sign this petition asking the DNR to use their ARPA funds to stabilize the building, which would allow additional time for more thoughtful proposals to come forward. 

Constructed in 1902, the BIBH is the only known rowing boathouse in the United States to combine the social and boating aspects of a club into one building at this scale. It is among the earliest examples of Venetian-Spanish Revival architecture in the United States. Until recently, it was occupied and maintained by one of the oldest active rowing clubs in America—Friends of Detroit Rowing—until the DNR ruled the building uninhabitable in 2022 due to minor structural damages commensurate with the building’s age. 

Most of the building’s historic interior is still intact, with details including carved woodwork, ornate plaster, wood paneling, and historic fixtures. 

The DNR is soliciting proposals for a public/private rehabilitation of the boathouse, with a deadline of Friday, March 29, 2024. If a viable project is realized, the $2 million in ARPA funds the DNR has been granted from the state to reinvest into the structure will be reallocated to other projects on the island. Given the tight deadlines, it is unlikely that anything will come of this process. Detroit City Council voted 9-0 in favor of the DNR using the $2 million to stabilize the boathouse to extend the timeline and allow for more thoughtful proposals. 

The DNR has said that they want people to take the time to learn about the condition of the boathouse, so they published a webpage outlining its condition and possibilities moving forward. Unfortunately, the webpage intentionally misrepresents the condition of the structure, ignoring the work and investment that has been put into the building over the last 10 years. Stephen Malbouef, an admin on this page and the definitive expert on the history of the BIBH, has refuted these claims line by line. Mr. Malbouef holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Detroit Mercy, where his master's thesis outlined the history of BIBH and proposed thoughtful ways to repurpose it. He serves as the historian for both Friends of Detroit Rowing and the BIBH.

Over the years, the club’s membership has included notable names such as Henry and Edsel Ford, Ransom Olds, Sebastian S. Kresge, William Finck, Russell Alger, James Couzens, and Charles Freer. No less than eight Detroit mayors have been members, as well as at least four US Senators and a Congressman.

From this boathouse, the Detroit Boat Club Crew has trained 19 Olympians (including 6 silver and 2 bronze medalists), 35 rowers who represented the US at the World Championships (including 5 silver, 2 bronze, and most recently a gold medalist in 2023), and over 500 US and Canadian National Champions. Over the last 20 years, Friends of Detroit Rowing has taught an estimated 2,000 kids how to row. 

Please join us in demanding the DNR do the right thing by stabilizing this beautiful historic building to allow for its future preservation and repurposing.

"The Belle Isle Boathouse in its location at the entrance to Belle Isle is an irreplaceable landmark and asset to the City. It should not be demolished." —Janet Kreger, President, Michigan Historic Preservation