Cliff Dwellers Club

The Cliff Dwellers

Photo of Cliff Dwellers fireplace and lounge area with portrait of Hamlin Garland, first president of the Club.
Established	1909 (current location since 1996)
Location	200 S Michigan Ave, Suite 2200, Chicago, Illinois 60604 United States
Website	http://cliff-chicago.org/

The Cliff Dwellers Club is a private civic arts organization in Chicago, Illinois. The Club was founded in 1907 by Chicago author Hamlin Garland as "The Attic Club", On January 18, 1909, the name was formally changed to The Cliff Dwellers. In 1908, Cliff Dwellers entered into a lease for the eighth floor and the ninth-story penthouse above Orchestra Hall (now Symphony Center) at 220 South Michigan Avenue. Garland's model was the New York Players Club.

According to the Cliff Dwellers’ Articles of Incorporation, the club was formed to “encourage, foster and develop higher standards of art, literature and craftsmanship; to promote the mutual acquaintance of art lovers, art workers and authors; to maintain in the City of Chicago a club house and to provide therein galleries, libraries and exhibition facilities for the various lines of art, in support of the foregoing purposes.” The name of the Club is said to be based on the novel "The Cliff Dwellers" by Henry B. Fuller. Alternatively, it is referring to the ancient cliff-dwelling Indians of the Southwest, for a club that is perching on high ledges and values the arts.

The club's interior, and the meeting space called the "kiva", was designed by Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw, and featured the mural Navaho by John Warner Norton. Charter members of the club included Garland's brother-in-law Lorado Taft, a noted sculptor; educator and author William Morton Payne; architect Frank Lloyd Wright; architects A.B. Pond and I.K. Pond; the landscape architect Jens Jensen, and many other civic and cultural figures. The Cliff Dwellers' space in Orchestra Hall was ready for occupancy on January 6, 1909, when inaugural ceremonies were held. Under the original by-laws, the Club’s membership was limited to men. Women have been admitted as members since 1984.The Club became a meeting place for artists and lovers of the fine arts, through dinners and programs and performances by many local artists, and the ongoing camaraderie provided by a place to meet, eat and talk at a designated members table which is open to all Cliff Dwellers members.