The story goes that in November 1910, a man named Mr. Brown was constructing a five-story office building at the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 12th Street. Further down Euclid Avenue, near East 6th Street, the burgeoning Cleveland Athletic Club was searching for a new location to accommodate its expanding membership. Out of over 150 potential sites, there was only one they truly desired—the very location of Mr. Brown’s office building.
The club approached Mr. Brown and proposed a deal: the club would acquire a “sky lease” for the airspace above his office building, allowing them to build upward. Wasting no time, they hired Mr. Milton Dyer to design the Club House, which would begin on the sixth floor and extend up to the 15th. In November 1911, the Cleveland Athletic Club House opened to the public.
The exterior facing Euclid Avenue is adorned with semi-glazed, pearl-grey terra cotta. The club’s lobby corridor was crafted from plain Tennessee marble with a dull finish. The club began on the sixth floor with the casual level, colloquially known among members as the “basement.” The seventh floor housed the dining room, while floors eight through ten featured guest rooms. The 11th floor boasted locker rooms, a Turkish spa, and a beloved coffee shop. On the 12th floor, members could find the gymnasium and pool. During the 1960s, the 13th-floor viewing platform for the pool was transformed into a circular walking track. The 15th floor was home to the terrace and a bowling alley
Unfortunately, in 2007, the club permanently closed its doors, and the building remained dormant for several years until new ownership stepped in to rescue it just in the nick of time. In 2019, the Athlon project was successfully completed, representing a multi-million-dollar renovation aimed at transforming the building into Athlon’s 163 luxury apartments.
With a commitment to offering the finest downtown living experience, the original basketball courts and bowling alley were converted into multi-level suites. The new owners paid meticulous attention to restoring the pool and other iconic spaces within the building, ensuring that future generations of Cleveland residents could proudly call it their “home.”
KEY MILESTONES
- February 1, 1908: The CAC came to live originally in the old National City Bank Building.
- November 22, 1911: Grand opening of the CAC on Euclid Avenue when its first president, William P. Murray, declared, “…It will live now from generation to generation to the benefits of yourselves, your children and your grandchildren.”
- 1922: The CAC sponsored the National Amateur Pocket Billiard Tournament on the sixth floor.
- 1922: Johnny Weissmuller, who went on to star as Tarzan, set the world record in the 150-yard backstroke in the CAC indoor pool.
- 1923: CAC sponsored the first indoor track meet in Cleveland, an event that attracted nearly 2,000 high school and college athletes.
- 1925: James A. “Jimmy” Jimmie Lee, who became the CAC’s athletic director, coached the U.S. Boxing Team for three Olympic Games.
- 1966: The inaugural year for the annual famous St. Patrick’s Day party.
- 2007: Major renovation of the CAC to include a new aerobic studio and fitness complex, a Turkish bath, a family locker room and babysitting center.
- December 31, 2007: The last event before the doors of the CAC closed.
- 2017: Renovations began to remake history in the form of luxury apartments, commercial and retail space, keeping true to the original CAC mission of wellness with a pool, fitness center and open exercise areas.
A RICH HISTORY
Located at the former home of the renowned Cleveland Athletic Club, The Athlon combines history with contemporary luxury in 164 luxury suites.