The Missouri Athletic Club
For over 100 years, the Missouri Athletic Club has been one of the premier private clubs in the country. The M.A.C. has two outstanding facilities for the convenience of members and their families - the main clubhouse in the heart of downtown St. Louis, and the west county clubhouse, located just 20 minutes away in beautiful Town and Country.
Together, the two facilities enable the M.A.C. to offer the broadest array of athletic, dining and social opportunities of any club in Missouri.
The Missouri Athletic Club, which opened its doors on September 13, 1903, is now in its second century maintaining tradition of excellence unmatched by any city club in the United States. The M.A.C. is a St. Louis institution steeped in rich tradition, and its main clubhouse located downtown at 405 Washington Avenue has become a city landmark.
For the M.A.C.'s prestigious membership, which reads like a "Who's Who in Missouri," the Club has become a way of life offering the finest in athletic facilities in addition to its gourmet dining and elegant guest accommodations.
The M.A.C. has gone by a number of different names in its 100-year history, including St. Louis Athletic Club and Missouri Athletic Association, but "Athletic" has always been the Club's middle name. Opening just months ahead of the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, the original clubhouse featured a swimming pool, gymnasium, billiard room and bowling alley in addition to sleeping rooms. Club sportsmen began their storied athletic heritage by hosting, officiating and even competing in the 1904 Olympic Games held in conjunction with the World’s Fair. That started a strong tradition of athletics, as M.A.C. athletes competed in the Olympics plus other events like local and regional Amateur Athletic Union events and amateur boxing events.
The momentum gained in those early years came to a sudden, though brief, halt when a tragic fire destroyed the original clubhouse in March of 1914. Within two weeks after the fire, a committee was appointed to design and erect a new and more elaborate clubhouse. In 1915, bonds and lifetime memberships were sold to finance the new building. August A. Busch and Boatmen's Bank let the way by purchasing $5,000 worth of bonds each, and hundreds of members purchased what they could afford of the $100 bonds.
The present-day clubhouse opened its doors on March 1, 1916, with a gala celebration attended by 5,000 people. The new Club, a 10-story facility was grander than the first. With the M.A.C. serving as the focal point of St. Louis athletic and social life, membership grew to nearly 3,500 during the early 1920s. In the 1930s, the Club held its first victory banquet to honor its champions and outstanding athletes. The event quickly grew into one of the largest banquets of its type in the country and in the 1960s evolved into the presentation ceremony for the M.A.C. Sports Personality of the Year Award.
As the Club celebrated its 50th anniversary, it was obvious that the M.A.C. indeed was a way of life for the leaders of the St. Louis community. Beginning in the 1950s, a long and impressive roster of famous visitors and members became part of the Club's history including Ronald Reagan, Stan Musial, and Jack Buck.
The M.A.C., building on a storied past, always keeps an eye on the future. In 1995, the M.A.C. purchased the former Town and Country Racquet Club in suburban St. Louis, allowing the Club to offer more programs like tennis and outdoor swimming. An $8 million expansion/renovation at the M.A.C. West Clubhouse has been completed.
Today, the M.A.C. remains the premier athletic, social and dining club in St. Louis. The M.A.C. way of life is a proud one. As Club members continue that heritage they ensure the vitality of the M.A.C., a growing institution well into the 21st century.
