Bath and Tennis Club: Entertaining is Simply a Family Affair
In 1960, Ronald Boardman, a partner of E. F. Hutton, organized investors to purchase 62 acres in Lake Bluff, east of Green Bay Road and south of Route 176. Much of the property was part of the former John R. Thompson estate, West Highlands.
The intent was to build a family-oriented club and stave off encroaching residential development next door. Architect Ike Colburn was commissioned to design a steel and glass compound with a domed tennis pavilion, outdoor courts, pool, squash courts, dining room, lockers and offices. Seven “Irish towers” were added – freestanding two-story residences that could be rented for $500 per month.
The initiation fee in 1963 was $660, monthly dues $42. At that time, the club had 330 family memberships.
The Bath and Tennis Club was demolished in the 2000s and the land subdivided into buildable lots. What remains protected from development is a wetland bird sanctuary.
