Germantown / The Harmonie Club

Fleeing political unrest in their homeland, Germans began arriving in Detroit during the 1830s. Lured by state of Michigan recruiting pamphlets, German musicians, teachers and professionals joined increasing numbers of immigrants in Detroit. By 1880 20 percent of the city’s population was German-born. Most of these immigrants settled in this area, known as Germantown, between the Jefferson and Gratiot Avenue corridors. Many opened shops and businesses ranging from breweries to tailoring shops to tanneries. Harmonie Park, its name associated with the nearby Harmonie Club, was an important center of Germantown. Greek immigrants moved into a part of Germantown that later became known as Greektown. The Harmonie Club Detroit’s oldest musical association, the Harmonie Society, was founded in 1849 by German immigrants who wished to meet and sing Lieder (German art songs). The society’s first building, Harmonie Hall, was constructed in 1874 at the corner of Lafayette Avenue and Beaubien Street. The hall burned in 1893 and the present Harmonie Club was erected in 1895. Designed by German-American architect Richard E. Raseman, the Beaux Arts structure was a Germantown landmark. Although organized and operated by Germans, the club hosted gatherings of people from many ethnic groups. It became one of Detroit’s most prestigious organizations. The Harmonie Club is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.