The Cliff Dwellers 21st Century Fund Dinner – Supporting the Club

The 21^st Century Fund Dinner – Support for Renovations

At a dinner for the Cliff Dwellers 21st Century Fund, the speakers explained that the club has a new lease, some tenant-improvement money, and a chance to tackle long-postponed repairs and upgrades. The tone of the evening was part history lesson, part fundraising appeal, and part preview of a renovation plan that is still being refined.

The Fund and The Cliff Dwellers’s Capital Needs

Leslie Recht, Co-Chair of the 21^st Century Fund, opened by explaining that the fund exists to help members pay for capital needs that ordinary dues cannot cover. She said the new lease gives the club an opportunity to multiply member donations with landlord-provided improvement funds, and she stressed that some needs are immediate, especially a stove that is near the end of its life. She also urged members to treat the club the way they would treat a home or business: by investing in it so it stays strong over time. She reminded people that there are several ways to give, including pledges and planned gifts, and noted that members can also support named items and special donations.

Club History and the Renovation Plan Ahead

Anne Sullivan, President of The Cliff Dwellers, framed the evening as part of a long tradition of members supporting the club’s future.

Ben Johnson, House Committee Chair and Past President and Charlie Hasbrouck, Past President, then walked through the club’s history to show that renovation and reinvestment have always been part of its survival. Charlie traced the club from its founding in 1904, its early years in the Fine Arts Building and later at Orchestra Hall, to the move to its current home at 200 South Michigan in 1996. He noted that the club has repeatedly carried pieces of its old home into the new one, preserving continuity and the club’s artistic character.

Why now

The main point was that the club finally has a lease situation that creates room for serious maintenance work. The speakers said the current lease is long enough to justify planning ahead, but also clear that this is probably the best chance for a while to make major improvements with outside money helping to pay for them.

Ben stressed that the club’s kitchen equipment is a real risk if not replaced, especially the oven, which is so old that replacement parts are no longer available. He and Charlie both made the broader point that private clubs often need special capital funding beyond dues if they are going to remain viable.

What Needs to Be Fixed

Charlie described the current proposal as a list of “could-bes” and “nice-to-haves,” not a finished design. The plan is still being balanced against the budget, but it already includes a mix of necessary repairs and useful improvements. The biggest themes were:

• Deferred maintenance, including paint, drywall repair, worn surfaces, and other aging conditions.
• Better lighting throughout the club, especially in the main room, bar, and gathering areas.
• Kitchen and bar upgrades, especially a new oven and better bar equipment and storage.
• Repair or replacement of doors, thresholds, shelving, and other heavily used fixtures.
• Improvements to the coat room, deck, office, and storage areas.
• Careful floor restoration, since the existing floor is attractive but fragile and expensive to replace.

Charlie spent a lot of time on the floor, explaining that a full replacement would be very costly, while a lighter restoration approach might be possible. He said they are testing methods that would preserve the look of the floor without causing more damage, and he warned that furniture movement is part of the problem and may need to be addressed too.

The Club Spaces

Charlie then went room by room through the club. He described plans to improve the entry area, toilet rooms, coat room, fireplace area, bar, deck, and main Kiva space, with attention to both function and appearance. Some items were small but practical, like adding mirrors, fixing doors, and making storage more workable; others were more ambitious, like rethinking lighting and improving the atmosphere of the main room. He also said the renovation should support performances, talks, and slideshows by making the lighting more flexible. The goal is not to remake the club, but to make it work better while keeping its historic feel.

Next steps

The speakers said the project is still early, with a preliminary scope, budget, and schedule. Their hope is to bring in a contractor over the summer, refine the plans, and be ready to begin work in the fall, with the most disruptive work potentially done during a club closure around the winter holidays and early the next year. The evening ended with a clear message: the club is trying to preserve what makes it special, fix what is worn out, and use this lease window to prepare the Cliff Dwellers for the long term.