In the 1950’s an influx of British people into the Detroit area led to the gathering of groups, in order to socialize on common ground, and to be able to share in their common interests. One such group of people working at the GM Tech Center started meeting at night to finish off a coworker’s basement. Upon completion of the project it seemed quite natural to continue meeting, and the idea of creating a British Club was formulated at one of these regular basement parties. So, on December 17th, 1962 “The Commonwealth Club” became a reality and incorporated for the purpose of organizing social functions, dances and charter flights to Britain.
It wasn’t long before the average basement was too small to accommodate these new-found friendships. The next step was to rent a hall and promote regular dances and larger parties.
The “Mound Road Dance” (as it was known) quickly became the place to be on a monthly basis for a growing number of ex-patriates; finances soon grew, and buying our own premises was the next step. An old machine shop was purchased in 1969; the inside was gutted, a bar was installed, dart boards were hung – and after many hours of hard work, a few dedicated members transformed it into a clubhouse that they were justifiably very proud of.
What started out as a predominately British club may have changed complexion with the times, but our goal, the preservation and demonstration of our centuries-old traditions, did not deviate. Over the years, members introduced friends, neighbors, workmates, etc. to our ranks – we enjoyed the support of not only a large number of American members, but also many other ethnicities, creating a unique blend of people with a common goal. We were indeed a United Nations organization with most of our members recognizing the need to preserve British traditions, heritage, art, and social preferences.
In 2022, we celebrated our 60th anniversary as the oldest British Ex-Pat social club in the United States . Our family-like atmosphere and close friendships between members allowed our Club to endure the tests of time.
During the global COVID pandemic, the Club continued operations in a limited capacity, offering “drive-through” fish fries on Fridays and regular updates on our Facebook page. However, we never fully recovered from the shutdown the pandemic caused, and unfortunately the board was ill-equipped to maintain and grow the Club going forward.
From the austere beginnings of basement parties amongst a few friends, we developed an organization we could admire and be proud of. We give our thanks to those who fostered the idea all those years ago, and to all the members old and new who have been instrumental in building and maintaining what we enjoy now.
Below are two pages from our 50th Anniversary program which show a few pictures of the clubhouse development.
