34 WAC Magazine | wac.net
1930s & 1940s
Steam shovels broke ground on the
corner of Sixth and Union on December
16, 1929. Exactly one year later, the
art-deco Washington Athletic Club
designed by Seattle architect
Sherwood D. Ford opened its doors.
In its earliest days, the WAC navigated
the Great Depression and became one
of the country's first private clubs to
welcome women members.
High-level athletics flourished. Leg-
endary swimmer Helene Madison
trained in the 6th Floor pool and went
on to win three gold medals at the
1932 Olympics. Other WAC Olympians
followed. So did high-level Club support.
Early WAC members Royal Brougham, a
legendary Seattle journalist, and booster
Torchy Torrance, for whom Torchy's
Restaurant is named, helped raise funds
O U R E A R LY Y E A R S
for the University of Washington
eight-man crew that famously took
gold at the 1936 Berlin Games.
Five years later, WAC member support
for American servicemen in World War
II and their families began in earnest. A
WAC Victory Work Center was estab-
lished, and members sewed surgical
dressings, sold war bonds, and orga-
nized entertainment events with
proceeds donated to the Red Cross. By
the end of the war, the WAC was esti-
mated to have contributed nine years'
worth of hours in support of the troops.
Helene Madison
Royal Brougham
