1907–1996 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.
1996 to now In 1996, the Cliff Dwellers moved their meeting place from the penthouse above Orchestra Hall (now Symphony Center) to the 22nd floor of the Borg-Warner building. The private club continues to operate as a non-profit organization for men and women either professionally engaged in, or who support, the fine arts and the performing arts. The Club maintains a collection at the
Newberry Library. The Club has continued its tradition of sponsoring programs and performances and providing a space for the lively exchange of ideas.
Past presidents The Cliff Dwellers has been led by several of its charter members and their tradition has been carried on, with presidents who have been engaged as writers, architects, scholars, publishers and lay members who love and support the arts. •
Hamlin Garland (1907–1914) •
Charles L. Hutchinson (1915–16) • Karleton Hackett (1917–1918) •
William O. Goodman (1919–1920) •
Henry Kitchell Webster (1921) •
Ralph E. Clarkson (1922–1923) •
Horace S. Oakley (1924) • Karl E. Harriman (1925–1926) •
Frederick Stock (1927–1928) •
Carter Harrison IV (1929) • William A. Nitze (1930–1931) •
Thomas E. Tallmadge (1932–1933) •
Irving K. Pond (1934–1935) • Herbert E. Hyde (1936–1937) • Elmer E. Forsberg (1938–1939) •
Ralph Fletcher Seymour (1940–1941) • Charles F. Kelly (1942–1943) • Wilfred E. Garrison (1944–1945) •
Ralph Horween (1946–1947) • W.W. Kimball (1948–1949) • Franklin J. Meine (1950–1951) • N. Kellogg Fairbank Jr. (1952–1953) • B. Fred Wise (1954–1955) • R. Vale Faro (1956–1957) • J. Biedler Camp (1958–1959) • Paul D. McCurry (1960–1961) •
Leo Sowerby (1962) • Rolfe Renouf (1963–1964) • Addis M. Osborne (1965–1969) • Roy Berg (1969–1972) • Manly W. Mumford (1973–1974) •
Henry Regnery (1975–1976) • Irl Marshall (1977) • Leo E. Heim (1978–1979) • Charles F. Harding, III (1980) • J. William Cuncannan (1981–1982) • William J. Isaacson (1983) • Wilbert R. Hasbrouck (1984–1985) • Jerrold R. Zisook (1986–1987) •
Gertrude L. Kerbis (1988–1989) • Walker C. Johnson (1990–1992) • Chester R. Davis Jr. (1993–1994) • John A. McDermott (1995–1996) • Karl Zerfoss (1997–1998) • Kristine Fallon (1999) • Allen Kamp (2000–2001) • William M. Getzoff (2002–2003) • Jack W. Zimmerman (2004–2005) • William J. Bowe (2006–2007) • Larry E. Lund (2008–2009) • Brian A. Bernardoni (2010–2011) • Leslie Recht (2012–2013) • Charles R. Hasbrouck (2014–2015) • David Chernoff (2016–2017) • Eve Moran (2018–2019) • Carla J. Funk (2020–2021) •
Robert Jordan (2022-2023) • William J. Bowe (2024-2025) • Ben Johnson (2026-2027)
Notable members Many well-known Chicago figures have been active members of The Cliff Dwellers over the years. Members have included: •
George Ade •
David Adler •
Solon Spencer Beman •
Jacob Burck •
Daniel Burnham •
John Alden Carpenter •
Sir Alfred East •
Roger Ebert •
Arthur Jerome Eddy •
George Fitch •
Wilson Irvine •
Cyrus Hall McCormick II •
William Vaughn Moody •
Horace Sweeney Oakley •
Wallace Rice •
James Whitcomb Riley •
Carl Sandburg •
Joseph Lyman Silsbee •
Adlai Stevenson III •
Louis Sullivan •
Booth Tarkington •
Bert Leston Taylor Under the Club's by-laws, "any person of reputation for creative work or for distinguished service in the field of literature or arts may be elected an honorary member." Authors
Stuart Dybek and
Scott Turow, Chicago sculptors
Terrence Karpowicz and
Richard Hunt, Chicago historian
Tim Samuelson, investor and philanthropist
Richard Driehaus, photographer and journalist
Lee Bey, and architect
Carter Manny are recent honorary members of the Club. == Exhibitions, performances, and lectures ==