Multnomah Athletic Club
Private club in Portland, Oregon, U.S.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Multnomah Athletic Club (MAC) is a private social and athletic club in Portland, Oregon, United States organized as a 501c7 non-profit. It was founded in 1891 as the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club, a coordinating body for team and individual sports such as track and field, football, and basketball and fielded its own competitive teams against collegiate competition. It is currently a 21,000 member institution, providing athletic and dining facilities to its dues-payers.
Multnomah Athletic Club's clubhouse in 1910 | |
| Abbreviation | M.A.C. |
|---|---|
| Formation | February 1891 |
| Type | Social and recreational club |
| Registration no. | 93-0232310 |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 45.5206°N 122.6927°W |
| Members | "21,000+"[1] (June 2024) |
Key people | Daniel Williams (president) Charles Leverton (general manager)[citation needed] |
| Revenue | $52.1 million [2] (2023) |
| Website | themac |
The MAC was the target of a suicide bombing in May 2026 by a disgruntled former employee who drove an explosives filled vehicle into the club in middle of the night.[3]
History
The Multnomah Athletic Club was founded in 1891 as the Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club. It is located in Portland, Oregon's Goose Hollow neighborhood, occupying two buildings adjacent to the Providence Park sports stadium. It is governed under laws for 501(c)(7) Social and recreational clubs. In 2024 it claimed $55,959,896 in total revenue and total assets of $116,576,907.[4] The Multnomah Athletic Foundation at the same address is a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. In 2024 it claimed $377,604 in total revenue and $3,613,692 in total assets.[5]
The club hosted annual outdoor athletic games in Portland, with the inaugural event taking place in September 1891.[6] The event included a traditional spectrum of track and field events, including sprints, middle distance races, and a one-mile run, hurdling, high and long jumping, pole vaulting, the hammer throw and shot put, as well as a one-mile race walk and a two-mile bicycle race.[6] These annual competitions were open to any member of a valid athletic club, military unit, or institution of higher learning.[6]
Bicycle racing was an important part of the club's activities during its first decade, with one of its members claiming world records in the one-mile and ten-mile bicycle race from a standing start in 1894.[7]
Multnomah Amateur Athletic Club also served as the organizer of its own teams, playing football against other clubs from its inception.[8] Chief rivals on the gridiron during the ensuing two decades included the teams of the Seattle Athletic Club and Spokane Amateur Athletic Club;[8] regular games against Oregon college teams were also played.
The club is known for its exclusivity[9] and was historically male-dominated. Women members were not given full voting privileges until 1977. Jews were also not allowed to be a MAC member until 1958.[10]
New memberships are chosen by a lottery, however applicants who don't know a current member may be asked to present a reference letter.[11]
It has been called "the only club in town that matters" and Nike had paid for one of its former executive's MAC membership on company expense to "help him integrate into the Portland business community"[12][13]
The general manager's salary in 2017 was around $719,000, which makes his salary among the highest non-profit executive salary in Portland outside of the medical sector.[14]
2026 bombing
On May 2nd, 2026, a former MAC employee drove a car packed with explosive devices into the club's lobby in what has been described as an apparent suicide bombing attack. The sole occupant of the car was found dead after some explosives detonated and caused significant damage to the facility. No one else was killed or injured.[15][16][17] Police later identified the suspect as Bruce Whitman, 48, who worked as a bartender at the club before 2022. He had a known history of fixation with MAC, including engaging in club-related conspiracy theories and threatening MAC's members, dating back to 2021.[18]
Facilities
The club's primary facility is an eight-level main clubhouse located adjacent to Providence Park. The club's facilities total 600,000 square feet (56,000 m2), making it the largest indoor athletic club in the world.[19][20]
