Spokane Club, Bof Plan Merger Brotherhood Of Friends Could Face Closure Without Union

A proposed merger between the Spokane Club and the Brotherhood of Friends could have members of the private organizations jumping for joy.

Or, more appropriately, dancing for joy. Ballroom dancing, that is.

If the clubs unite, Spokane Club members would have access to BOF facilities and activities, including weekend dancing parties, formal step lessons and a 20-year-old band blaring toe-tapping tunes in a grand ballroom.

BOF members would have all future BOF dues waived and free lifetime memberships to the Spokane Club. Combined assets would exceed $15 million.

“We look at it as a marriage between two clubs where both clubs and both clubs’ members will benefit from the union,” said Alan Arsenault, general manager of the Spokane Club.

If the groups don’t merge, the 60-year-old BOF may be forced to close its doors or its members may incur a substantial increase in their current $35 per year dues. BOF lost almost $42,000 in 1994, according to records supplied by the group’s board of directors.

The Spokane Club presented the offer on Thursday to 80 BOF members, who have until July 27 to decide. If two-thirds of voting BOF members approve the merger, the clubs will unite Aug. 1.

BOF has about 500 members - down from more than 5,000 in the club’s post-World War II glory days. The club’s headquarters, 933 W. Third, served as a USO center for servicemen until the group purchased it in 1948. BOF, which hosts women’s card-playing tournaments and catered non-profit fund-raisers, also owns the land on which the Trade Winds Motel sits.

The 105-year-old Spokane Club has more than 3,100 members whose dues range from about $150 to to $250 a year, not including initiation fees. Facilities include an athletic club, two restaurants, 48 hotel rooms and catered events.

, DataTimes