The Madison (Wis.) Club redesigned its 40,000-sq.-ft. third floor and renamed its former restaurant, Churchills, to Clementine in honor of the former prime minister of the United Kingdom’s wife. “It had been 22 years since we remodeled this floor,” says General Manager Mary Gaffney-Ward. “What was important to us was that it changed as the world changed.”

The Madison (Wis.) Club, which was established in 1909, has completed a renovation of its 40,000-sq.-ft. third floor, part of an overall remodeling project intended to show the club is changing with the times, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

The club, which has been at its current site since 1918 when the structure was built, not only revamped its third level, but also renamed its former restaurant, Churchills, to Clementine in honor of the former prime minister of the United Kingdom’s wife, General Manager Mary Gaffney-Ward, told the State Journal. Gaffney-Ward, who became the first female General Manager of the club 22 years ago, said that women weren’t able to become members of the club until the 1970s.

Club + Resort Business covered The Madison Club’s $2 million overhaul of its event space in a June 2019 feature.

If the Madison Club’s walls could talk, she told the State Journal, they would speak of a century’s worth of business deals, parties and galas, as well as visits from former U.S. presidents like Theodore Roosevelt and Barack Obama and other major religious and political figures. Winston Churchill once walked the halls of the club.

The Madison Club, whose roughly 700 members can pay to take advantage of the venue’s offerings, has over the last half decade sought to update its interior both as part of the upkeep of the historical building and to evolve its reputation as a venue solely for the upper crust of Madison society, the State Journal reported. Walls with floral and animal patterns, elegant staircases and furniture with trendy earthy tones like teals, forest greens and burnt oranges are present throughout the building.

The latest remodel took three months and involved gutting the three meeting rooms and two dining rooms on the third floor, the State Journal reported. Now, members entering the third floor are greeted by a dining room and lounge area with a black-and-white theme.

To the immediate left, there’s a storage cooler for wine that takes up the entire wall, the State Journal reported. The club’s wine list includes 135 bottles with 35 grape varieties, Gaffney-Ward said. There’s also a bar with every drink a member could want.

Further to the left is an even more spacious dining room with a view of Lake Monona and Monona Terrace, the State Journal reported. Customers can enjoy a meal from Clementine’s seasonal menu while basking in the sunlight if the weather warrants it. The updated menu ranges from classic burgers and the traditional Wisconsin fish fry to more fine-dining options.

The third floor’s Mendota Room, Monona Room and Waubesa Room, meant for conferences, baby showers and other gatherings, sport green, Asian-themed and horse print wallpapers, respectively, the State Journal reported. On the shelves of each room are plants or pottery on top of stacked books — a recent interior design trend.

“It had been 22 years since we remodeled this floor,” Gaffney-Ward said. “What was important to us was that it changed as the world changed. Having over 300 members come to the grand opening — they loved it. It felt bright, beautiful. All the things we wanted to hear.”