The 125-year-old Mountain City Club plans to make major upgrades to its building. Some of the updated items include new technology in the conference rooms, more comfortable furniture and better lighting.Chattanooga's 125-year-old Mountain City Club is slated to undergo one of the biggest remakes in a generation as it aims to woo younger members.
In a half-million-dollar renovation, plans are to redo the downtown club's second floor into so-called smart offices, enabling users to do more day-to-day business as it builds on Chattanooga's ultra-fast Internet.
In addition, the club's first- floor lobby will become more of a casual dining area, with plans to expand its bar.
New furniture, technology updates, an improved fitness facility and locker rooms, and a general refreshing will be included in the revamp of the club.
When the refurbishing is done in about six months, General manager Joe Fidelibus said it's almost as if there will be two clubs in the 27,000-square-foot, three-level building at Chestnut and Eighth streets.
"It's one of the more exciting projects we've had," he said.
Fidelibus noted that key to the changes is the effort to attract younger members.
"What can we do that the younger generation wants?" he said club leaders asked themselves.
One of the answers was the re-creation of the second floor, he said. What are now meeting and private dining rooms will be redone into offices where business people can work, complete with technology such as smart boards.
One of the rooms is to be equipped as a video conferencing center, Fidelibus said. What had comprised gathering space around the club's impressive second-floor rotunda will be more fittingly furnished as a business center.
Chattanooga architect Bob Franklin, who is the club's president, said millennials don't necessarily want to be in an office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. They often go to other locations, such as a coffee shop, to work.
"We'd like to be that place for our members," Franklin said.
Club officials hope to grow the club, which now has about 300 members. That's less than half of the membership cap of 625, said Fidelibus.
Cindy Rix, the club's membership and sales director, said it will be a place where men and women can stop by to do business, particularly for those younger entrepreneurs.
"It's ringing that bell for them," she said.
Officials said that what will stay on the second floor is the billiards room and bar.
Dues for members aged 21-29 are just $45 monthly with a $250 initiation fee. That compares with dues for members age 40 and older of $180 monthly with a $1,000 initiation fee.
The club, one of the oldest in the Southeast, has been at its current site since 1974. Before that, the club was located in a building next door that was raised in 1904 in what's now the 160-space parking lot.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.