Around the Club

THE PRINTED CHERRY DIAMONDReturns

Back by popular demand, the printed magazine has finally returned to Members' mailboxes, and the MAC is happy to share the newest iteration of the magazine with everyone. For more than a century, Members have relied on the magazine to keep up with Club news, upcoming events, Member happenings and more. In August of 1903, one month prior to the Club’s grand opening, the MAC published its first magazine. In the inaugural magazine, Club President Marmaduke outlined the mission statement for the Club’s new publication.

“The primary purpose of the Missouri Athletic Club Journal is to chronicle events pertaining to the Club, and, as the Club expects to exert a potential influence in fostering wholesome athletics and contribute to the social and material interests of St. Louis, the need for this journal is apparent.”

Since the opening of the Missouri Athletic Club (called the Missouri Athletic Association at the time), the Club’s magazine has continued to uphold the mission statement. Even during the pandemic, the MAC continued to publish the magazine online, helping Members to stay in touch with the rest of the Club despite the closures that have occurred.

Throughout the years, the magazine has gone through several iterations including three names: the Missouri Athletic Club Journal in 1903, Ye Clubbe in 1906 and, finally, the Cherry Diamond in 1916, which was named in honor of the Club’s renowned logo.

As technology has advanced over the past century, so has the Club magazine. Illustrations and black and white photos have given way to color photos and computer-generated graphics. The Club's magazine was first produced in black and white until 1997 when eight four-color pages were produced. In 2000, the number of color pages grew to 16 — half the pages in the magazine. In January 2003, to kick off the Club's centennial year, the Cherry Diamond made a change to full color.

The Club publication has come in a variety of sizes as well. The Journal measured 7 by 10 inches and Ye Clubbe was a small booklet, measuring 4.5 by 6 inches. In the 1950s the Cherry Diamond adopted an oversized 9-by-12-inch format before returning to an 8.5-by-11 format in 1980, which it kept until this year. Our current size, 9.5 by 11.5 inches, allows for larger photos, features and fonts to help enhance our Members’ reading experience.

While the Club publications have been primarily focused on MAC-related activities, subjects pertaining to the "interests of St. Louis" have also been covered. The 1904 Olympics and World's Fair; the historic Lindbergh flight; the opening of the Planetarium, Arch, Busch Stadium, and Edward Jones Dome; the revitalization of Forest Park; and the American Legion Centennial Celebration are just a few of the civic events that have been chronicled

in the pages of MAC magazines.

The Cherry Diamond remains an essential communication outlet for Club Members, although the rapid evolution in technology led some prognosticators to predict the demise of printed publications.

While the magazine is available online for those who prefer to read it in a digital format, the membership survey results indicate that the printed Cherry Diamond is still the preferred source of Club information for most. The increasing variety

CHERRY DIAMOND MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB JANUARY 2021 F TRADITION Building on MISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB AUG 19 FCHERRYDIAMONDMISSOURI ATHLETIC CLUB NOVEMBER 2016 F SOAKING UPSummer2016 SPORTS Personality VLADIMIR Tarasenko of the Year

of communication outlets has not replaced the venerable Cherry Diamond but served as a valuable supplement for Members to stay connected to the Club.

The magazine has also sought to provide the primary link between the Club and its Members. A perusal of volumes also provides a window into St. Louis and the world in the past century through a

Cherry Diamond F NOVEMBER 2016 F 1

collection of stories and advertisements for the city's historically prominent companies.

Through the years, Members have trusted the magazine to connect them with the best local businesses to help with all of their needs. Make the MAC a part of your marketing plan for 2021. With the fresh, new Cherry Diamond returning, plus an exciting variety of sponsorship opportunities, there are a number of ways to connect with your fellow Members. The MAC’s Director of Sponsorship, Ashley Hancock, can help you customize an effective plan to meet your marketing goals. Contact Ashley Hancock at ahancock@mac-stl.org for more information and pricing. F

SATURDAY, FEB. 13, 2021

F 6 p.m. — Cocktails 7 p.m. — Dinner 8 p.m. — Program and Dancing F Downtown Clubhouse Formal attire requested, masquerade masks encouraged. F $125 per person Price includes dinner, program, live entertainment and garage parking F Register online or call 314-539-4470. This event will follow CDC and local guidelines.

Save the Date! BOXING NIGHT

THURSDAY, FEB. 25, 2021

The Missouri Athletic Club has a boxing tradition dating back to the beginning of the Club and St. Louis has a long history of producing some of the top boxers in the country. Those two traditions are on display at the MAC once a year as the Club hosts the annual MAC Boxing Championships featuring the best young boxers from the area. The MAC will begin taking reservations in mid-January.

The MAC Boxing Championship is always a sellout event where many Members bring friends and clients to enjoy a night of boxing, food, drinks and MAC camaraderie. Join in the excitement and be a part of this memorable event by becoming a sponsor and supporting the MAC Sports Foundation.

Building on TRADITION

S

ince 2007, the MAC’s historic Downtown Clubhouse has been honored with a place on the National Register of Historic Places. The recognition came nearly 14 years ago, though many of those who have passed through the building’s corridors have understood its historical significance in the St. Louis community for decades before the Clubhouse made the list.

The Downtown Clubhouse as it stands today at the corner of Washington Avenue and 4th Street was erected in 1916. In the 100-plus years since then, the City of St. Louis has evolved with the changing framework of society and technological advancements. But the MAC has remained true to its mission of being the premier athletic, dining, and social club for business, professional, and civic leaders and their families in the St. Louis region.

Andrew Weil, the executive director of the Landmarks Association of St. Louis, noted in a 2019 issue of the Cherry Diamond that over the decades the MAC building has stood at 405 Washington Ave., downtown has “transformed” around it.

“Washington Avenue rose and fell as the city’s garment district. The department stores thrived for decades and then closed one by one. The riverfront was cleared and replaced with the Arch. Hop Alley was cleared and replaced with Busch Stadium, before it was cleared and replaced by another Busch Stadium. The streetcars — which once were the lifeblood of the central business district — were discontinued, and the shoe industry largely moved overseas. More than half a million people left St. Louis City. Through more than a century of change, the MAC has remained true to its roots, earning its reputation as one of our community’s most stalwart institutions and an icon of downtown.”

The announcement of the addition to the National Register of Historic Places was made in May 2007 at a press conference in the Art Lounge. KMOX personality Charlie Brennan, a St. Louis historian, served as emcee for the press conference, according to an issue of the Cherry Diamond from that year.

“The Missouri Athletic Club is a remarkable St. Louis asset and now a part of the magnificent revitalization of our downtown,” Brennan is quoted saying. “Members from almost every leading St. Louis company make a difference at the MAC and ultimately, in our city. We’re fortunate that the efforts of the MAC extend beyond its walls. The MAC has a rich and meaningful legacy, one that will help us go forward.”

City of St. Louis mayor at the time, Francis Slay, also had complimentary remarks to observe the occasion.

“This is a well-earned recognition for a business, athletic, social and philanthropic club that has been a wonderful neighbor in downtown St. Louis. Not only is the MAC a wonderful building architecturally, it is the gathering place of so many leaders

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THE NATIONAL REGISTER

The National Register is administered by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Office. The list encompasses hundreds of cultural resources that have been deemed worthy of preserving, including significant places to American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. Such places can include districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

First and foremost, places registered on the National Register must possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. Once these qualities have been determined, listings must also be one or more of the following: F Associated with events making significant contributions to broad patterns of our history; F Associated with the lives of significant people in the past; F Embody the characteristics of type, period, method of construction; represent the work of a master, possess high artistic value; or represent significant and distinguishing entity that components lack distinction; F Yield or have yield information that is important to history or prehistory.

Once honored on the National Register, listings are eligible for many benefits including honors recognition, consideration in planning for federal, federally licensed and federally assisted projects, tax provisions and qualifications for federal grants.

MAC FEATURE

who have helped shape our great city. The MAC has been a St. Louis crown jewel for more than 100 years.”

The Downtown Clubhouse joined other noteworthy St. Louis structures on the influential list, including the Old Courthouse and the Wainwright building. In the years since this honor, preserving the historic integrity of the Downtown Clubhouse has become more important than ever. Thanks to the efforts of MAC past presidents Kim Tucci, Don Gunn and Gerry Ortbals, the Preservation Foundation was founded and granted non-profit status in 2007.

Since its inception, the Preservation Foundation has focused mostly on inward projects that have helped maintain the infrastructure of the Downtown Clubhouse. In recent years, the Foundation has helped fund a complete overhaul of the clubhouse’s HVAC system through the PACE project. Smaller projects include renovations of bathrooms, hotel rooms and life safety compliance.

Most recently, extensive work was done on the exterior of the Downtown Clubhouse to restore and preserve it for future generations. Though the City was largely shut down due to the pandemic when the project was due to kick off mid-spring, specialists got to work on the east and south elevations of the building doing tuckpointing, power washing, restoring stained glass windows and removing harmful materials. When the project wrapped up near the end of 2020, the building was sparkling and restored to its original architectural beauty.

This huge undertaking was made possible by Members’ generous donations and a $200,000 grant from the Robert J. Trulaske Jr. Family Foundation. Funds raised during the Building on Tradition Campaign will help preserve the historic integrity and magnificence of the Downtown Clubhouse for years to come.

This year’s Preservation Foundation Gala will honor and thank Members who have donated to the restoration efforts and celebrate the completion of the months-long project at the end of 2020. F

Building on TRADITION

Thank you to the Robert J. Trulaske Jr. Family Foundation for making the exterior restoration of our historic Downtown Clubhouse possible! And thank you to all of our Members who contributed to this important project! We appreciate your generosity … it matters!