Management at Bayview Yacht Club is planning a $3.7 million to $4.3 million overhaul of the private sailing club on Detroit's east side as it looks to turn the tide on declining membership.

An extensive renovation of the historic club at 100 Clairpointe St. is scheduled to begin this fall, with the 12,688-square foot club complete by July 2020, said Brad Kimmel, a member of the club who served as its commodore last year.

"The whole project is to capitalize on the view of the Detroit River — see the river, see downtown from anywhere inside the clubhouse," he said.

Large windows, natural light and open air will influence the design of the new club house. There will also be conference and banquet rooms added to make it more than just a bar and restaurant, Kimmel said. Another bar will be built, but the beloved original bar, or "mahogany altar," as it is sometimes called, will remain.

To accommodate members during construction, the plan is to move operations into a temporary tugboat-turned-clubhouse by September to make way for contractors. Renovations on the tugboat — named Queen City and docked nearby — started in November.

"This venerable building has been lovingly called a shrine to nautical culture," Sandy Fullerton, commodore at the yacht club, said Wednesday during an event previewing the race. "We're going to keep a lot of the fixtures, a lot of the things that still remind you of Bayview, but it will be built to better serve and attract newcomers, younger people."