The summer of 2024 is winding down with an extra dose of finality in Mountain Lakes . Labor Day weekend will bring the swansong of a community gathering place that has served residents in style for 110 years.
The Mountain Lakes Club opened in 1914, only a few years after the first houses were built in developer Herbert Hapgood's planned community here in central Morris County. On Monday, the doors will close on the lakeside property after a final weekend of festivities, including "open to the public drinks" at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
"Much has endured in 110 years. But things have changed, too," the club posted on its Facebook page on Monday. "The club has struggled financially since the recession of 2008, thanks to an ill-timed renovation project. Those debts, paired with a dwindling membership, have resulted in a club that has not been self-supporting for a decade."
The club faced foreclosure in 2018 after falling behind on payments for a $2.8 million bank loan. The money was borrowed in 2008 for major renovations − "just before the economy tanked," according to then-board president Joe Scura, speaking in 2021. The club gained a new life when a group of members agreed to buy the banknote and lease the resort back to the membership under favorable terms.
In the Mountain Lakes Club's heyday, there were more than 300 members. Scura said. By 2020, that number was at more than 200. But the COVID-19 pandemic placed another barrier to the club's comeback.
An advertisement for the summer of 2024 offered memberships priced at $2,750 for current and former members, and $3,250 for newcomers. The ad also stated the club would need at least 140 memberships to survive.
On Monday, club management announced it was time to close.
What's next for Mountain Lakes Club?
"Our current owners generously poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into the MLC to try and reinvigorate what had become a failing enterprise," the club posted. "It didn’t work, in part, because we still don’t have the critical mass of members necessary to carry the day-to-day operating costs of the club."
Club management did not return a call for comment on Tuesday. The status of the building and its beachfront property remains unclear.
"More will be shared on the status of Mountain Lakes Club Inc., as well as the building itself, in the coming weeks and months," they posted.
The club was designed to attract residents who flocked to the quiet bedroom community in the early 20th century to enjoy its seven man-made lakes and distinctive, three-story stucco "Hapgood" homes. Those houses regularly fetch seven figures in the current residential real estate market.
"It was a place for family, a place for sports, a place to enjoy the outdoors, and a place to have a good time," the Club said in its Facebook post.
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'Often-raucous parties'
Outside the two-story clubhouse, members enjoyed tennis, a beach, a pool and patio, canoeing in warmer months and ice-skating in the winter. Inside, the elegant country-club atmosphere of lounges, dens and ballrooms was a setting for social gatherings and weddings. The club also has a basement bowling alley.
When daytime activities concluded, the club "was home to many elaborate − often raucous − parties, reflecting the playful spirit of its residents," the club posted.
"The club today is now soaked through with memories − of weddings and birthdays, anniversary and graduation parties, town races and fireworks, first swims and first dances, fishing on the dock and drinks on the verandah, snack bar dinners and formal galas, morning games of tennis and late-night bowling."
"From the founding Members of 1914 to the remaining Members of 2024, we are all connected by our time spent here," the post concluded "How lucky we’ve all been to call the Mountain Lakes Club 'home.'"
William Westhoven is a local reporter for DailyRecord.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today .
Email: wwesthoven@ dailyrecord.com
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This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Mountain Lakes Club will close after 110 years, ending an era in Morris County
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