The Mountain City Club is a place of contemporary comfort, combined with elegance and refined hospitality. The private club has been chartered since 1889 and is steeped in Southern history.
Situated in scenic downtown Chattanooga, TN, The Mountain City Club provides an ideal setting for meetings, social events and banquets.
Each member of MCC experiences a sense of belonging to something special. We offer a varied atmosphere of elegance and entertainment suitable to all members of the Club. Our attentive yet unobtrusive Staff serves unsurpassed cuisine. Each dish is prepared under the attention of our Executive Chef.
We have various amenities to offer our Members; rooms for fine dining and small bars for casual conversations. Upstairs on the second floor, we have billiards, big screen TVs for the sports enthusiasts, and small and large rooms for gin rummy and backgammon, as well as a Library with internet access for business activities. For the health conscious members, we offer a fitness center downstairs.
The Mountain City Club strives to give our Members a gracious get-away haven. We have been providing comfort and luxury for our area’s business, civic and governmental leaders for decades. When you want to wind down or entertain after a long day of work, consider The Mountain City Club.
History
The Mountain City Club was organized on April 22, 1889 and received its charter on September 20, 1889, with a membership of 137 men. A building was constructed at the corner of Seventh and Cherry Street housing the offices of several local businessmen on the ground floor and the Club occupying the top floor. The club became a place to relax, to carry on conversations with other leaders of the community both business and civic, and a place to fraternize, play cards and enjoy some of the best food in town.
With growth came growing pains and the club moved twice, finally locating in a building on Chestnut Street in 1904. This building was to become the home of The Mountain City Club until 1974. Through two World Wars, the Depression and the coming and going of Members, the Club became a fixture of respectability and moderate conservatism. The Club attracted the leaders of the community and membership is highly valued.
The original Members of The Mountain City Club were Chattanooga's civic and business leaders from many trades, including: manufacturing, real estate, banking, law, insurance, wholesale and dry goods, brokerage, and publishing. The Members were to become not just leaders in Chattanooga but leaders with a national prominence.
By 1904 the significance and popularity of the Club lead to an increase in membership from 150 to 200 and the allowing of female guests when receptions were being held.
Overnight guests were allowed and the Club also included regular boarders. By 1907 the resident membership was 200 and the Board was allowing no new applicants. In addition the nonresident membership now stood just below 100.
The Club continued to grow and by 1920 a new addition was being planned as well as an increase in membership to 350.
The annual Christmas Party was started in 1935 and remains a tradition. This was also the year the first air conditioner was installed at the Club.
The Board also decided to allow the sons of Members to accompany their fathers during weekday breakfast or dinner. In May 1963, the club installed a health club in the basement and started allowing the Member’s sons and daughters over 21, to attend the annual Christmas party. In 1992, the Club changed from being an all men's club to inviting women to join. The modern era really began in 1971, when the Club seriously entertained ideas for a new clubhouse and in 1972 an emotional speech (shown at the upper right of this page) was given at the annual meeting.
The vote carried and plans for a new clubhouse began. The new clubhouse was patterned after the presidential palace and governor's palace at Williamsburg. The brick was handmade especially for the club and the mortar has a line in it called a grapevine, typical of the Williamsburg style.
The Williamsburg style was adopted and the new clubhouse was opened in 1974. In 1989 the first 100 years of the Club were commemorated with the slogan "100 Years of Tradition" and in keeping with tradition a low-key celebration was planned.
Today the Club continues as a meeting place for men and women leaders of Chattanooga, a place for relaxation, fine food and traditions that have not been forgotten.