Less than two years after assuming control of the Brynwood property, the Milwaukee city club now plans $1 million in improvements.

The Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee has purchased the former Brynwood Country Club facilities, less than two years after it assumed control of the property in the city’s northwest section.

Wisconsin Club bought Brynwood’s 200-acre grounds, including the golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and clubhouse, for $2.7 million, General Manager John Constantine said on September 14, and now plans to spend around $1 million to improve the facilities. The improvements will include remodeled locker rooms and exercise facility, and new maintenance equipment for the golf course.

Other upgrades being considered include a possible rooftop dining area overlooking the golf course, Constantine added.

In the fall of 2009, Brynwood merged into the Wisconsin Club through an agreement that gave members at both clubs access to each location’s facilities. The agreement called for the Wisconsin Club to lease the Brynwood facilities for 10 years, with an option to buy the property.

Wisconsin Club now has the highest number of members in its history, Constantine said—1,435 members in all, around 300 of whom now have golfing privileges.

He added that the Wisconsin Club is now one of just three private clubs that he knows of that offer both downtown facilities and a golf course, the others being in Atlanta and San Francisco.

The Wisconsin Club’s roots date back to 1891. Its downtown amenities include dining rooms, bars, a grand ballroom, and a concierge and shuttle service to area concerts, theater and sporting events.

Brynwood CC began in 1926 as a club for Jewish members who were then barred from other private clubs, but it later sought to diversify its membership. The merger with Wisconsin Club was spurred by Brynwood’s declining membership.