Milwaukee Athletic Club Dramatically Downsizing, Ending Social Programming
Financial problems are at root of issue.
The Milwaukee Athletic Club in 2019. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
One of Milwaukee’s oldest social institutions is significantly downsizing.
The Milwaukee Athletic Club will end its dining and social operations Monday, shifting to an athletics-focused membership model after its operator determined the current model is no longer financially sustainable.
In an email to members Thursday, MAC Partners said athletic facilities and programming will continue, including group exercise classes, personal training, massage services, pool access, locker rooms and the kids club. The club will discontinue its rooftop restaurant and member dining, Elephant Room service, club-sponsored social events, shuttle service and complimentary parking.
MAC Partners is an investment group that redeveloped the building. It is led by Joshua Jeffers of J. Jeffers & Co. and Tony Janowiec of Interstate Parking Co. and Interstate Development Partners.
“We determined that the current model is no longer financially sustainable,” MAC Partners said in the message obtained by Urban Milwaukee. It said it intends to maintain athletic operations “rather than discontinue all services and close the club.”
In the email, the club said a member survey found that athletics was the primary reason most respondents joined and used the club.
The change affects the club at 758 N. Broadway, which reopened in 2022 after a major redevelopment of its historic home. The project added apartments and renovated athletic facilities, dining areas and event spaces. In 2025, Benson’s Restaurant Group took over catering and events at the club.
The club operates on floors one through seven of the 12-story building, with apartments located on the upper floors. Members have access to a rooftop bar and restaurant.
The 54 apartments will continue to operate.
Multiple MAC members told Urban Milwaukee that the change was coming before the email was sent late Thursday afternoon.
MAC Partners owns and operates the facilities, while the MAC is a membership organization represented by its board. The board was recently informed of the planned change and has begun negotiating with MAC Partners over the club’s future, including its control, amenities and culture. The email said many questions remain unresolved.
Other downtown clubs have faced similar challenges. The downtown University Club closed in 2023, leaving only a suburban country club. The downtown Wisconsin Club acquired a golf course in 2011 as part of a strategy to stabilize both institutions, then sold it in June 2023.
Members will transition to athletic memberships. A reduced monthly dues structure, subject to board approval, is set to take effect Dec. 1: $179 for a single membership, $239 for a couple and $279 for a family. Legacy members will receive a 15% discount.
The member message included instructions for resigning for those who wish to end their membership.
The email did not detail what will happen to employees whose work supports the discontinued services. It encouraged members to consider MAC employees for opportunities in their businesses and professional networks, and thanked staff for their service.
MAC Partners and the board said they will continue meeting to evaluate the club’s future. The board, according to the email, plans to provide members with another update by Thanksgiving.
The MAC was founded in 1882. It moved to its current home, a purpose-built structure, in 1917. The redevelopment project, described as a $61 million deal at the time, was the second-largest historic preservation tax credit deal in Wisconsin history.
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