Missouri Athletic Club
Encyclopedia
The Missouri Athletic Club (often referred to as the MAC), founded in 1903, is a traditional gentlemen's club
and athletic club
in Downtown
St. Louis
, Missouri
, USA
, with a separate athletic campus in the St. Louis County
suburb of Town and Country
. The MAC awards the annual Hermann Trophy
, the highest award in American college soccer
. Notable members have included President
Harry S. Truman
, Charles Lindbergh
, and Alan Shepard
. The American Legion
was organized there in 1919.
on the Missouri side. The thirteen-story clubhouse designed by William B. Ittner
contains four restaurants, a cigar parlor, a ballroom, a barber shop, numerous private meeting rooms, a reading room, a billiard parlor, a rooftop deck, 80 guest rooms, and full-service athletic facilities. The athletic facilities include weight training, a golf practice room, a pro shop, whirlpools, tanning beds, wet and dry saunas, trainers, pros, a masseuse, squash
courts, racquetball
courts, and handball
courts.
, having organized amateur athletic and social clubs in New York City
and New Orleans, entrepreneur Charles Henry Genslinger came to St. Louis and persuaded local prominent citizens to fund a similar club. Boatmen’s Bank
donated a seven-story building at Fourth Street and Washington Avenue to the club, which adopted “Missouri Athletic Club” as its name. More than 3,200 members enrolled prior to the club’s opening in September 1903.
Immediately upon its founding, the MAC joined the Amateur Athletic Union
, which allowed members to participate in the 1904 Summer Olympics
, also held in St. Louis. As part of the AAU, the MAC formed basketball, swimming, track, baseball, boxing, wrestling, bowling, and billiards teams, which competed throughout the United States.
In 1914, the MAC clubhouse was totally destroyed by a fire, which also killed 30 members, guests, and staff. The club decided to construct a new building in its place, which opened in 1916. This has been the clubhouse ever since. From 1916-1939, the MAC was renamed the Missouri Athletic Association.
In 1987, the MAC began awarding the Hermann Trophy
to the United States's top male and female college soccer
players. This is the highest player's award in college soccer, equivalent to the Heisman Trophy
for college football
.
In 1988, the club’s membership voted overwhelmingly to admit female members. Before that, membership had been restricted only to men.
In 1995, the club bought the Town and Country Racquet Club in St. Louis County. After investing $2 million in upgrading the facilities, they were reopened as the Missouri Athletic Club-West. MAC-West was re-renovated for $8 million in 2003.
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 Downtown
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Jefferson Avenue...
St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with a separate athletic campus in the St. Louis County
St. Louis County, Missouri
St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...
suburb of Town and Country
Town and Country, Missouri
Town and Country is a wealthy inner ring suburb in west St. Louis County, Missouri, United States, with a population of 10,815 as of the 2010 census. Town and Country has the highest median household income of any city in Missouri with population over 10,000 and also has one of the highest median...
. The MAC awards the annual Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
, the highest award in American college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
. Notable members have included President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, and Alan Shepard
Alan Shepard
Alan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
. The American Legion
American Legion
The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress...
was organized there in 1919.
Downtown clubhouse
The club is headquartered at 405 Washington Avenue, at the corner of Fourth Street, adjacent to the entrance to the Eads BridgeEads Bridge
The Eads Bridge is a combined road and railway bridge over the Mississippi River at St. Louis, connecting St. Louis and East St. Louis, Illinois....
on the Missouri side. The thirteen-story clubhouse designed by William B. Ittner
William B. Ittner
William Butts Ittner was an architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed many school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St...
contains four restaurants, a cigar parlor, a ballroom, a barber shop, numerous private meeting rooms, a reading room, a billiard parlor, a rooftop deck, 80 guest rooms, and full-service athletic facilities. The athletic facilities include weight training, a golf practice room, a pro shop, whirlpools, tanning beds, wet and dry saunas, trainers, pros, a masseuse, 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, 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...
courts, and handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
courts.
History
In 1903, during the lead-up to the 1904 Louisiana Purchase ExpositionLouisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
, having organized amateur athletic and social clubs in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and New Orleans, entrepreneur Charles Henry Genslinger came to St. Louis and persuaded local prominent citizens to fund a similar club. Boatmen’s Bank
Boatmen's Bancshares
Boatmen's Bancshares Inc. was one of the 30 largest bank holding companies in the United States when it was acquired by NationsBank in 1996.The company, founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1847, claimed to be the oldest bank west of the Mississippi River at the time of its acquisition.The bank was...
donated a seven-story building at Fourth Street and Washington Avenue to the club, which adopted “Missouri Athletic Club” as its name. More than 3,200 members enrolled prior to the club’s opening in September 1903.
Immediately upon its founding, the MAC joined the Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
, which allowed members to participate in the 1904 Summer Olympics
1904 Summer Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the III Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in St. Louis, Missouri, in the United States from 1 July 1904, to November 23, 1904, at what is now known as Francis Field on the campus of Washington University...
, also held in St. Louis. As part of the AAU, the MAC formed basketball, swimming, track, baseball, boxing, wrestling, bowling, and billiards teams, which competed throughout the United States.
In 1914, the MAC clubhouse was totally destroyed by a fire, which also killed 30 members, guests, and staff. The club decided to construct a new building in its place, which opened in 1916. This has been the clubhouse ever since. From 1916-1939, the MAC was renamed the Missouri Athletic Association.
In 1987, the MAC began awarding the Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
to the United States's top male and female college soccer
College soccer
College soccer is a term used to describe association football played by teams who are operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
players. This is the highest player's award in college soccer, equivalent to the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
for college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
.
In 1988, the club’s membership voted overwhelmingly to admit female members. Before that, membership had been restricted only to men.
In 1995, the club bought the Town and Country Racquet Club in St. Louis County. After investing $2 million in upgrading the facilities, they were reopened as the Missouri Athletic Club-West. MAC-West was re-renovated for $8 million in 2003.
Notable members
- Jack BuckJack BuckJohn Francis "Jack" Buck was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Buck received the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987, and is honored with a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame...
, St. Louis CardinalsSt. Louis CardinalsThe St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
sportscaster - Jimmy DunnJimmy Dunn (soccer)James “Jimmy” or “Ebbie” Dunn was a U.S. soccer forward. He spent nine seasons with Ben Millers in the St. Louis Soccer League and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1974.-Biography:Dunn began his career with Christian Brothers College of the St...
, American soccer player - Gwynne EvansGwynne EvansGwynne Evans was an American freestyle swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics....
, American olympic athlete - Joseph ForshawJoseph ForshawJoseph Michael Forshaw is an Australian ornithologist, and the world's foremost expert on parrots. He was the former head of wildlife conservation for the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service.-References:...
, Olympic marathon runner - Augustus GoesslingAugustus GoesslingAugustus M. Goessling was an American water polo player, breaststroke and backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics and in the 1908 Summer Olympics.He was born and died in St...
, American olympic athlete - Charles F. HaanelCharles F. HaanelCharles Francis Haanel was a noted American New Thought author and a businessman. He is best known for his contributions to the New Thought Movement through his book The Master Key System....
, American businessman and author - Sidney HatchSidney HatchSidney Hatch was an American athlete who competed for the United States in the 1904 Summer Olympics held in St Louis, United States in the 4 mile team where he won the silver medal with his team mates James Lightbody, Frank Verner, Lacey Hearn and Frenchman Albert Corey.Sidney Hatch was also a...
, American olympic athlete - Charles LindberghCharles LindberghCharles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...
, pioneer aviator - John MeyersJohn Meyers (swimmer)John Chief Meyers was an American freestyle swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics....
, American olympic athlete - Stan MusialStan MusialStanley Frank "Stan" Musial is a retired professional baseball player who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals . Nicknamed "Stan the Man", Musial was a record 24-time All-Star selection , and is widely considered to be one of the greatest hitters in baseball...
, St. Louis Cardinals baseball player, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee - William OrthweinWilliam OrthweinWilliam Robert Orthwein was an American freestyle, backstroke swimmer and water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics....
, Amercan olympic athlete - Marquard SchwarzMarquard SchwarzMarquard J. Schwarz was an American freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics and the 1906 Summer Olympics.He competed as a member of the Missouri Athletic Club and attended Yale University....
, American olympic athlete - Alan ShepardAlan ShepardAlan Bartlett Shepard, Jr. was an American naval aviator, test pilot, flag officer, and NASA astronaut who in 1961 became the second person, and the first American, in space. This Mercury flight was designed to enter space, but not to achieve orbit...
, astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
, first American in space - Harry A. SlatteryHarry A. SlatteryHarry A. Slattery , was an American lawyer and statesman. He was United States Under Secretary of the Interior from 1938-39 and gave his name to the Slattery Report, which proposed to develop Alaska through immigration...
, United States Deputy Secretary of the InteriorUnited States Deputy Secretary of the InteriorThe Deputy Secretary of the Interior, in the United States government, advises and assists the Secretary of the Interior in the supervision and direction of the Department of the Interior and its activities, and succeeds the Secretary in his or her absence, sickness, or unavailability. The Deputy...
(1917-18), author of the Slattery ReportSlattery ReportThe Slattery Report, officially titled "The Problem of Alaskan Development,” was produced by the United States Department of the Interior under Secretary Harold L. Ickes in 1939–40. It was named after Undersecretary of the Interior Harry A. Slattery... - Manfred ToeppenManfred ToeppenManfred Kurt Toeppen was an American water polo player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.He was born in St. Louis, Missouri and died in Los Angeles, California....
, American olympic athlete - Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, 33rd President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
(1945-1953)