The University Club of Milwaukee is permanently closing its city club due to financial challenges and plans to sell the downtown Milwaukee building. It will focus on its country club moving forward.
The closure is effective Tuesday, University Club board president Jim Caragher told members in a letter sent Tuesday afternoon and obtained by the Milwaukee Business Journal. As reasons for the closure, he cited member attrition, deferred maintenance, fine-dining competition, and cultural division within the club since the 2017 merger between the University Club and Tripoli Country Club.
"The board contemplated and exhausted all reasonable alternative scenarios to improve the club’s financial position and determined that closure and sale of the downtown facility was the only responsible option," Caragher wrote. "We have been forced to accept the fact that our recovery plan would likely take too long to unfold and require too many resources, making the timeline unviable in light of the financial pressures we face."
Employees of the city club were made aware of the closure Tuesday and will all receive severance, Caragher wrote. Those who have health coverage will be covered through Jan. 31.