As one of the first establishments to break ground on the riverbank,


the Chattahoochee River Club served as a catalyst for other riverfront development. With it’s fine dining and breathtaking view of the Eagle and Phenix dam, the club set the bar high for the development of uptown Columbus. The dream of a private club along the river emerged in 1989 with


a Riverfront Committee of four people: Ed Burdeshaw, Rozier Ded- wylder, Peggy Theus and Mat Swift. Three years later, their vision became a reality when a groundbreaking was held at the river site on April 17, 1991. Built in May of 1992 with more than 500 charter members, the


General Manager Wayne Milton (R) recognized Chef Alex Sapp at the 20th anniversary reception.


River Club served as Columbus and Phenix City’s first exclusive din- ing club that allowed members to enjoy a quiet, scenic location to conduct business meals. “Before the River Club was built, we didn’t really have a nice dining


facility that was comfortable and conducive for business commerce,” says Mat Swift, assistant treasurer of the River Club and president of W.C. Bradley Co., one of the corporate founders of the River Club. The Club began with four main goals, Swift says: activate the river,


offer a private club in downtown Columbus that would benefit the business community, have a diverse clientele and provide a fine dining facility overlooking the dam. Twenty years later, the River Club has become a great success boasting more than 625 members. “I would say it’s one of the most dramatic sites of a restaurant anywhere in the southeast,” says Swift. Since the club is located right on the bank of the Chattahoochee


River, it has the only unobstructed, panoramic view of the Whitewa- ter Project, a project that will lead to one of the largest urban white- water courses in the country. According to a Columbus State Uni- versity Economic Impact Study, the course is estimated to bring 188,000 visitors to the Columbus area and generate more than $42 million each year. Te Eagle and Phenix rapid, the final and


largest rapid of the two-and-a-half mile course, will end right outside the River Club near the Dillingham Bridge. Bill Scrantom, president of the River


Club, is looking forward to the role that the River Club will play in the Whitewater Proj- ect. “We’re already getting kayakers that we can see out the window,” he says. As members and guests dine, they will


have a scenic view overlooking whitewater activity. “You can imagine sitting here at lunch having your favorite food and drink- ing iced tea and watching rafters barreling down the river,” says Wayne Milton, general manager of the club. As the River Club reaches its 20th anniver-


sary, Swift is hopeful that the next 20 years will be as successful as the last. “We like to think of our uptown developments as pearls along a necklace,” says Swift. “Every pearl benefits the next.” C


46


Columbus and the Valley


August 2012


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68