Oakland Hills' new $80M clubhouse won't be exact replica

Kurt Nagl is a reporter covering manufacturing — particularly the automotive industry's transition to electrification, the impact on the supply base and what it means for the state — as well as the business of law. Before joining Crain’s Detroit Business, he reported in Iraq and China and for various publications in Michigan.

The new $80 million clubhouse at Oakland Hills Country Club will mirror the historic structure that burned to the ground a year and a half ago — with some notable changes.

Architects have drawn up a plan for a new 110,236-square-foot building for the ultra-exclusive club in Bloomfield Township. That's 18,345 square feet larger than the original, according to the master plan approved by the township planning commission, fire department and police department earlier this month.

The project is expected to go in front of the township board of trustees for final approval in the coming weeks.

Another alteration: The proposed clubhouse is 44 feet tall, while the original was believed to be 40 feet. While seemingly a miniscule change, such details matter to historians and the township, which requires a variance for structures exceeding 30 feet in height.

The high-profile clubhouse rebuild at one of the most storied properties in the game of golf has garnered plenty of attention locally and internationally. The 100-year-old structure burned down Feb. 17, 2022, after contractors appeared to set it off accidentally with a propane blowtorch.

A combination of insurance money and a member assessment is funding the rebuild. The project scope, approved through a member vote in December, includes:

The master plan presented to the township further details the work to be conducted on the 173-acre property of the South Course — the more famous of the club's two 18-hole courses — which has hosted 17 professional golf championships over the years and will host the 2034 U.S. Open.

Club officials plan to replace all of the chain-link fence to decorative fencing around the perimeter of the course, per requests from the board, according to the planning document. Additionally, 137 8-foot-tall arborvitae trees will be planted on the inside of the fence line along the property's West Maple Road frontage. Another 100 or so trees will be planted along the sidewalk and around the parking lot.

The first tee building will be expanded to 16,853 square feet and renamed the Lifestyle Building. The various maintenance structures will be consolidated into a new 40,000-square-foot greens and grounds building.

Traffic patterns will be altered to enhance traffic flow and safety. The parking lot will be expanded to include 351 paved parking spaces with an additional 99 on the North Course side and a new valet lot will provide 72 spaces and six electric vehicle charging stations.

Despite the extra touches, the rebuild project, headed up by Lansing-based Clark Construction Co. and Southfield-based Neumann/Smith Architecture, seeks to be true to its roots.

According to the planning document, the proposed new clubhouse will consist of "white poly-ash lap siding, Indian buff limestone, split faced natural Michigan fieldstone, white trim boards, white aluminum balusters and white wood railing, white fiberglass columns, dark asphalt shingles, copper standing seam metal roof, copper gutters and downspouts, green panel shutters and white trim windows with mullions, white doors, and bluestone patios.

"The proposed plan is to rebuild the clubhouse similar to the original building, with minor modifications to the building and enhancements to the overall site," the document said.

It isn’t unusual for executives of publicly traded companies to pledge shares as collateral. What is unusual is the scope of Ishbia’s loans, with more than half of his shares now tied up as collateral.