The Wausau Club was a businessmen's club in

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

built 1901–1902. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1989.

History

The Wausau Club was founded by members of ''the Wausau Group'', a group of wealthy lumbermen and lawyers. As the forests of northern Wisconsin were running out, they decided to stay in Wausau and pool their resources and ideas to invest in other ventures. Together they would found Wausau Paper Mills, Marathon Corporation, Wausau Sulphite Fibre, Employers' Mutual Liability Insurance Company, and Marathon Electric. The group formed in 1901, with by-laws stating that their purpose was to "promote the business interests of the city of Wausau and community and the social enjoyment of the members there of." And they promptly began to plan an impressive clubhouse. The site the club is on once held a house that belonged to

Rufus P. Manson Rufus P. Manson was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Manson was born on February 15, 1830, in Eaton, New Hampshire. In 1854, he married Catherine Nicolls. They would have twelve children. Manson died on February 19, 1897. Ca ...

, a Mayor of Wausau and a member of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, and his family of twelve. After Manson and his wife died, the house was split into two properties and each was moved. The following year, the Wausau Club was formed and would move another house from a different location onto the one previously occupied by the Manson residence. Multiple additions would later be made to the building, including one addition and refurbishment that cost $140,000. During the

Prohibition Era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

, a tunnel connected to the Wausau Pilot newspaper building (which is occupied today by Shepherd and Schaller Sporting Goods) was used to move alcohol to and from the club undetected. The Wausau Club closed in 2004 and the City of Wausau took over ownership. In October 2017, the historic building was turned into a new art museum called the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art.

References

{{reflist Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wisconsin Buildings and structures in Marathon County, Wisconsin Neoclassical architecture in Wisconsin National Register of Historic Places in Marathon County, Wisconsin