The Milwaukee Athletic Club (or MAC) is a private social club

Gentlemen's club

A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...

 and athletic club

Athletic club

An athletic club may be*A private club which provides sports facilities to members.*A sports club dedicated to athletics, often professional and fielding competitive teams...

 in Milwaukee

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

. It was established on September 18, 1882 by eight young men for the purpose of "developing of the bodily powers through gymnastic

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...

 and other exercise

Physical exercise

Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...

s". The MAC has grown and changed since that time.

Nine buildings housed the Club before it moved in 1917 to its present site on the corner of Broadway and Mason. The MAC occupies all 12 floors of the building. Within these walls are a formal dining room

Dining room

A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...

, restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

, 17 private meeting room

Conference hall

A conference hall or conference room is a room provided for singular events such as business conferences and meetings. It is commonly found at large hotels and convention centers though many other establishments, including even hospitals, have one. Sometimes other rooms are modified for large...

s including the Grand Ballroom, 60 guestrooms, two cocktail lounges

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

, library

Library

In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...

, barber shop

Barber

A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....

, child care room, racquetball

Racquetball

For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...

 and squash

Squash (sport)

Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...

courts, co-ed fitness studio and private men's' and women's athletic facilities, each with its own lap pool.

Although its focus has always been athletics, the MAC now provides a broader range of services and opportunities for its membership. Today, the MAC also focuses on business and social functions and is the only private club in Milwaukee that offers dining, meeting rooms, guest rooms and full athletic facilities.

The MAC is governed by a twelve-member Board of Directors that sets club policy and directs the General Manager. The General Manager oversees a full-time staff of about 200 full and part time employees. A number of different committees, mostly composed of both Board and Club members, address specific issues. All new members of the club must be approved by the Board of Directors.

At the 1904 Summer Olympics, members of the Milwaukee Athletic Club won a gold medal in Tug of War.