Milwaukee Athletic Club facts for kids

Clubhouse in 2010

The Milwaukee Athletic Club, often called the MAC, is a special club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It's a private place for sports and social activities. For a long time, it was famous as a top spot for people to meet, play sports, and make friends.

In 2018, plans began to make the building even better. This project will create a great place for social events, business meetings, and sports. It will also have 54 fancy apartments. The ground floor will be more open to welcome everyone, including club members, guests, and people living in the apartments.

The new apartments will be on the top five floors. They will have one, two, or three bedrooms. These homes will look modern and fit the historic building's style. This project is one of the biggest to use special tax credits from the State of Wisconsin to help restore old buildings.

What's Inside the Club?

The club is located at 758 North Broadway, right on the corner of East Mason Street. Starting in 2021, members of the MAC can enjoy many cool features:

• A new rooftop lounge with places to eat and drink.
• Top-floor workout areas with the newest exercise machines.
• Golf suites where you can practice your swing and putting.
• Group exercise classes like yoga, pilates, and barre.
• An updated swimming pool area with cabana suites. You can even get food and drinks by the pool!
• Modern steam rooms, saunas, and locker rooms.
• A basketball court.
• A cycle studio for bike workouts.
• Spaces for events, working, and meetings.
• A beautifully restored Grand Ballroom.
• A secret-style cocktail lounge called a "speakeasy."
• Different places to eat.
• Helpful concierge services and valet parking.

On the outside of the building, there is a famous limestone sculpture. It is called "Diana" and was put there in 1954. The building itself was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. This means it's an important historical building.

A Look at the Club's History

Eight young men started the Milwaukee Athletic Club on September 18, 1882. Their goal was to "develop bodily powers through gymnastic and other exercises." Soon after, the MAC joined the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).

Some MAC members even went to early Summer Olympics! This includes the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. At those games, the MAC's tug of war team won the gold medal! As part of the AAU, the MAC also had teams for basketball, swimming, track, and baseball. These teams competed all over the United States.

The MAC was in nine different buildings before it moved to its current home in 1917. That year, the club built the 12-story building you see today. It was designed by Armand Koch in a Neoclassical style. This style makes the building look like a tall column. The bottom three floors are covered in stone, the middle floors are brick, and the top two floors are also stone. Inside, the building has a strong steel frame. In 1954, the inside was updated by Eschweiler & Eschweiler. They added rooms like the Bali Room and the Men's Lounge.

Famous Members of the MAC

Many interesting people have been members of the Milwaukee Athletic Club. Here are a few:

• T C Esser, a business owner.
• Patrick Flanagan, an American Olympic athlete.
• Sidney Johnson, an American Olympic athlete.
• Herb Kohl, who was a U.S. Senator.
• Conrad Magnusson, an American Olympic athlete.
• Charles Manegold, Jr., a business owner.
• Oscar Olson, an American Olympic athlete.
• Richard R. Pieper, a business owner.
• George Poage, the first African American athlete to win an Olympic medal.
• Henry Seiling, an American Olympic athlete.
• Al Simmons, a famous baseball player in the Hall of Fame.
• Christian Steinmetz, an early basketball star.
• Frank Waller, an American Olympic athlete.
• Hugo Teweles, a Milwaukee business owner.
• Sidney G Courteen, a Milwaukee business owner and former MAC president.