Vintage DAC Beefcake

My grandfather was a member of the Detroit Athletic Club his entire professional life. When he passed away in the early '90's I drove by his house and saw boxes and boxes of magazines sitting on the curb for trash pickup. I stopped to see what they were (garbage-pick my own recently deceased grandfather? You bet.) and it turned out to be 30 years of National Geographic and DAC News magazines. I grabbed a handful of the DAC News from the sixties because I thought, well, there must be something cool in there.

I turned out there was a TON of cool pictures from DAC events as well as ads from Detroit at a time when downtown was still the business and retail hub of the region. And a shit-ton of automotive supplier ads. The car was still king! I should have grabbed way more, although I guess I'd have been stuck moving them around for the past fifteen years. Although I'd love to have some from the seventies ...

For those of you not familiar with the Detroit Athletic Club, it was, until 1987 or so, a gentlemen's club. You know, one of those old boys' clubs where women couldn't be members and men smoked cigars and drank scotch.

The lovely and architecturally significant Detroit Athletic Club, circa 1967.
(click to enlarge)

Today the club admits women and even Jewish people as members. How progressive! It's still pretty conservative and business-oriented, but a great place to have a three-martini lunch. And their facilities really are lovely. I do try to take advantage of the memberships of family members and friends whenever possible.

In one issue from 1968 I discovered a feature on the new athletic equipment. I thought maybe it might brighten up more than one day if I posted these photos of sixties conservative businessman beefcake. My apologies in advance if I am objectifying anyone's father.

"1, 2, 3, 4 ..."
(reminds me of this number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes)

Whether you like 'em beefy...

... or lean and mean, there was something for everyone at the DAC.

OK, that's what I'm talking about. Wow.

"Ready to hit the steam room guys??"
(The steam room in which, as a young boy, I saw my first naked adult male.
Funny how those precious moments stay with you.)
.