Delavan Lake Yacht Club
Date: 1902
City: Lake Delavan, Delavan, Wisconsin
Accessibility: Private
Category: Recreational
Restoration status: Demolished
Wright’s design for the Delavan Lake Yacht Club departs dramatically from his earlier scheme for the Mendota boathouse, which also served as a recreational facility. While the Mendota boathouse referenced the Beaux-Arts designs of McKim, Mead, and White, the Delavan Lake Yacht Club is assembled from a series of simple geometric planes. Large, uninterrupted swaths of board-and-batten siding exaggerated the structure’s rectilinearity, while a low-hipped roof gave it a solid, compact appearance. A set of symmetrically oriented staircases led from the pier at the water’s edge to a terrace above. The interior had a central dance floor, dining room, buffet, ladies parlor, and kitchen. The Yacht Club was eventually demolished and a limited photographic record remains.