3735 MONONA DRIVE

3735 MONONA DRIVE

Dane

Monona

1954

2019

social recreational/fraternal hall

Contemporary

Brick

No

2019 - The East Side Club clubhouse was constructed in 1954. At that time, the organization was known as the East Side Advancement Association. The building faces east toward Atwood Avenue with a deep setback from the roadway beyond a large surface parking lot. The modern building has an irregular footprint, a flat roof, and exterior cladding primarily of brick. The one-story façade includes large bays expanses of plain white paneling with a continuous row of single-light rectangular windows. Near the center of the façade is an aluminum-framed glass entrance. The rear of the building faces Lake Monona and is two stories in height. The north end of this elevation is setback slightly with an overhanging flat roof and walls of windows on each story. Cladding on this portion of the building is missing. Most of the rear elevation consists of a shed-roofed projection on the first story, which is under construction, and a set of eight large aluminum-frame fixed windows on the second story above. At the south end of this elevation is an open-air shelter, a later addition that is used as a bar area during outdoor events.

The East Side Advancement Association was established in 1912 by a group of local businessmen. Their first known activities included the formation of a bowling league in 1919, which they saw as a way to foster a spirit of working and playing together. Bowling remained a primary activity of the organization at least into the 1960s and included an annual bowling banquet. The banquet was not the group’s biggest event. Beginning in 1923, the organization, then known as the East Side Business Men’s Association, sponsored an annual fall festival. More than 10,000 people attended the first festival, which was held under tents on a vacant lot on Atwood Avenue near Schenk’s Corners. In subsequent years, the festival moved to various buildings, Olbrich Park, and other locations, before ending in 1994 because of insurance costs. The first clubhouse was the former Hudson Hotel on Atwood Avenue, now Bunky’s Catering and Café, before the building at 3735 Monona Drive was built in 1954. The organization has had two simple goals since its founding: community betterment and providing recreation and sociability for its members. In 2006, the name was changed to the East Side Club, to make it more accessible to women and those who weren’t specifically “business” people. As of 2012, the organization had 325 members. The clubhouse is used for private events, such as wedding receptions, but also hosts public fish fries, Sunday brunches, and a seasonal tiki bar. Community service includes a scholarship fund for local high school students.

Samra Kalk Derby, “Monona Institution: The East Side Club Marks its 100th Anniversary,” Wisconsin State Journal, April 22, 2012; “Welfare of East Side, All Madison ESBMA Goal,” The Capital Times, June 28, 1965.

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