The Club has long been a place to exchange news, do business and enjoy friends     Detroit's downtown streets were cobblestone in 1882, when old friends, attorney Samuel T. Douglas and banker/broker James Campbell, met on the corner. They had dined at different restaurants and were walking back to their offices.     Always pleased to see each other, they talked about their hectic schedules and promised to meet for lunch very soon. Then the idea hit them. Why not rent a small house in the neighborhood, hire a first-rate chef and run a club where like-minded people could meet to exchange news, do business, and promote fellowship.     In short order, Douglas and Campbell were able to interest 100 other individuals in the idea and The Detroit Club was born. Those 100 members brought in more members, and after the first year, the Club outgrew its clubhouse on Lafayette and moved to larger quarters on nearby Fort Street.     In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the flourishing Club moved into its present clubhouse at the corner of Fort and Cass. Designed by renowned architect Wilson Eyre Jr. of Philadelphia, the four-story brick and stone Romanesque Revival building has served as the stage for many dramatic events of Twentieth Century Detroit.     The organizational meeting for the Automobile Club of Detroit (forerunner of the Automobile Club of Michigan) was held at the Club in 1902.     In Fall 1922, everyone was wondering whom Governor Alex Groesbeck would call on to fill the unexpired seat of U.S. Senator Truman Newberry. After weeks of strategy sessions, he summoned Detroit Mayor James Couzens to The Detroit Club and the answer was clear.     Eight years later, Michigan Governor Fred Green and Detroit bank presidents gathered around a table at The Detroit Club to draft their statement closing the city's banks. And after a series of meetings in 1944 and 1945 on the private fourth floor of the Club, Henry Ford II reclaimed control of his grandfather's company from Harry Bennett.     Through the years, The Detroit Club has been the setting for pivotal events in the life of Detroit and the nation. In the main dining room Chrysler Corporation Chairman Lee Iacocca launched his campaign to restore the Statue of Liberty and develop Ellis Island into a museum honoring the contributions of America's immigrants.     After his inauguration on New Year's Day 1994, Mayor Dennis Archer made his first stop The Detroit Club where he toasted the future, setting the tone for the rebirth of the city.     Over the years, the prestigious Club has welcomed leaders of the community and continues to offer a haven conducive to making decisions, entertaining special guests, hosting special occasions or just having fun.