Built, burned, and rebuilt by the same families.

The Twin Lakes Club

“The Twin Lakes Club” was the predecessor to the Twin Lakes Beach Club. Around 1925, residents organized a corn roast at Roraback’s tennis courts, with the ladies from the east and south shores entertaining guests from the west shore. A converted residence at the southwest cove became the clubhouse, after the members agreed to Mr. Mile’s requirement that there be no liquor on the premises. Nearly all of the lake’s residents joined.

The club featured tennis tournaments on two courts, Saturday evening summer suppers with dancing — sometimes with live bands — and Sunday morning softball games. Teenagers gathered for ice cream, soft drinks, and to listen to the popular music of the day.

After World War II

During World War II, the women used the clubhouse for Red Cross work. With many young men in the service, the club eventually disbanded, and the clubhouse became Roberts Grocery Store.

After the war, residents revived the organization as the Twin Lakes Beach Club. They purchased land and a boarding house adjacent to the O’Hara Marina and converted it into a clubhouse. Membership declined in the late 1950s and early 1960s for several reasons: the club duplicated recreation that families increasingly had at home, dues were restructured to $10 per person to avoid federal excise taxes during the Korean War, and rising costs meant members had to cover deficits through assessments and capital-fund invasions. Around 1960 the club acquired adjacent land with a cottage, financing the $5,500 purchase through subscriptions and 5 percent demand notes.

At a crossroad

By 1963, steep membership decline and depleted reserves created a crisis. Aging stockholders made the necessary adjustments difficult, and unfulfilled demand notes threatened to complicate members’ estates.

In the fall of 1963, the Board of Governors chose to build two tennis courts rather than liquidate. They increased the mortgage to $15,000 to fund the construction, which was completed for the 1964 season. Dues rose from $10 to $75 per family, plus a 20 percent federal tax — $90 in all. A membership drive succeeded, and the club added professional tennis instruction, reopened its snack bar, refurbished the beach, and completed long-needed repairs.

A new beginning

On August 29, 1990, fire destroyed the clubhouse. Despite the loss, the season continued. The membership rebuilt within one year, preserving the original 4,500-square-foot footprint. Designed by member Donald Blair, the new clubhouse debuted at the 1991 Opening Cocktail Party — and it is the building you walk into today.

From a modest beginning, the Twin Lakes Beach Club grew into a well-kept facility with two dazzling tennis courts and a groomed beach, offering activities for tennis players of every level and expanding social and waterfront opportunities, especially for its younger members.

Want to be part of the next chapter? Read about membership or learn how the club is run today.