The Gothic Room at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum is the men's smoking lounge removed from the upper deck of the CITY OF DETROIT III, a Great Lakes passenger steamship. Suitable for timorous males who prefer the society of their own sex, the lounge was designed by Louis O Keil for the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company.
The CITY OF DETROIT III was a sidewheeler passenger steamship that offered regular service on the Great Lakes between Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo. The $ 1.5 million ( about $ 31.8 million today ) vessel was ornately decorated in the style of a grand hotel with select wood paneling, architectural detailing and fine art. Passengers walking from the hardwood - paneled lobby would climb stairs into the Grand Salon adorned with seven large murals on the ceiling and paintings created by William de Leftwich Dodge. The art work depicting Diana riding her golden chariot drawn by doves, Nymphs playing in trees, and other mythological subjects, has been lost or is currently held in private collections. - AsNotedIn
From the lobby, the main stairway leads to the grand salon on the promenade deck, and leads the traveler into fairyland, a place of exquisite beauty and splendour. It is designed in the Corinthian style, the main ceiling with its massive and elaborately carved frames, being a masterpiece of carving and sculpture. Beautiful mural paintings, which the soft light properly illuminates, adorn the ceiling and are the work of William de Leftwich-Dodge, of New York.
| Y/M/D | Association | Description | Place | Locale | Food | Event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1911/00/00 | Frank E Kirby | Naval Architect | The Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Co commissions Frank Kirby to build the largest steel-hulled passenger side-wheeler on the Great Lakes, the CITY OF DETROIT III. A marker for the shipyard (lost) is at 3509 Biddle Ave in Wyandotte. | Wyandotte | Michigan | ||
| 1911/10/07 | Detroit Shipbuilding Co | Naval Architect | Doris McMillan, the granddaughter of senator James McMillan, christens the CITY OF DETROIT III. Built by the Detroit Shipbuilding Co (lost) in Wyandotte, more than 6,000 people witness the launched of the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company vessel. | Wyandotte | Michigan | ||
| 1912/00/00 | William de Leftwich Dodge | Artist | William de Leftwich Dodge paints mythological murals (lost) on the ceiling and the staircase landings on the CITY OF DETROIT III. A pair of cupids in original frames that hung in the Grand Salon of the steamship survive in a private collection. | ||||
| 1912/01/00 | Louis O Keil | Architect | Moored at the foot of Orleans Street, the interior decorations of the CITY OF DETROIT III, an opulent floating hotel, are designed and executed under the direction of Louis O Keil. Five stories of cabins are finished with carved paneling and balustrades. | Dry Dock Engine Works-Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex | Detroit | ||
| 1912/03/00 | Pewabic Pottery Co | Artisan | The CITY OF DETROIT III is fitted with a cocktail bar based on a 17C Rhine wine cellar. Costing $300,000, and built only after exhaustive study of old European drinking places, the comfortable lounge is decorated in Pewabic tiles and hand-hewn oak beams. | Dry Dock Engine Works-Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex | Detroit | ||
| 1912/04/00 | Louis Comfort Tiffany | Artisan | A five-paneled Tiffany stained-glass window depicting Rene-Robert Cavelier de LaSalle's landing in Detroit is installed in the Gothic Room on the CITY OF DETROIT III. | Dry Dock Engine Works-Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex | Detroit | ||
| 1912/05/30 | Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company | Steamship Line | Shortly after 10 am, the CITY OF DETROIT III sets sail and inadvertently picks up the JOSEPH C SUIT, a small wooden passenger and freight carrier. The much small craft is smashed between the CITY OF DETROIT III's anchor and port rudder. | Dry Dock Engine Works-Detroit Dry Dock Company Complex | Detroit | ||
| 1915/00/00 | Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company | History | The CITY OF DETROIT III, an $1.5 million ($32 million 2023) sidewheel steamship, sails the great lakes between Detroit, Buffalo and Cleveland. Up to 5,000 day passengers and a maximum of 1,500 overnight guest travel in stunning elegance. | ||||
| 1948/01/05 | Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company | History | George J Kolowich of Hamtramck buys the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company from the McMillan family. | ||||
| 1950/06/25 | The Norwegian freighter RAVNEFJELL collides with the CITY OF DETROIT III off Harbor Beach in Lake Huron. Former mayor of Benton Harbor Merwyn Stouck, Benton Harbor police chief Alvin C Boyd and two others are killed. The damage COD III is retired. | Harbor Beach Lighthouse | Harbor Beach | ||||
| 1959/09/00 | Art works and fitting from the CITY OF DETROIT III are sold. Frank Schmidt buys entire interiors, including the Gothic Room, has them shipped to Cleveland and installed it in the loft of a barn. | ||||||
| 1965/00/00 | Frank Schmidt's sister sells his maritime artifacts from the CITY OF DETROIT III to a restaurant-decorating firm in Cleveland. A pediment that capped a painting on the landing near the grand salon staircase is incorporated behind the bar at Bistro Romano. | Bistro Romano | Philadelphia, PA | ||||
| 1966/12/00 | The Dossin Great Lakes Museum raises $40,000 ($290,000 today) to buy the Gothic Room, whistles, murals and other fittings. The Daughters of the American Revolution donate $2,700 for the La Salle window. | Dossin Great Lakes Museum | Detroit |
| Particulars for City of Detroit III Gothic Room: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Art Attribute | American Art | ||
| Disposition | Architectural Remnant | ||
| Area of Significance | Art | expression of creative skill and imagination such as painting or sculpture | |
| Area of Design | Decorative Arts | ||
| Motif | Nautical | associated with seamen, navigation or ships | |
| Architecture Attribute | Ornamental Finish | architectural decorative design, typically wood, stone tile or plaster | |
| Boat attribute | Sidewheeler | ||
| Boat Attribute | Steamboat | ||
| Building Material | Wood | ||
| Historic Use | Work of Art | ||
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