A romantic, old-world setting in Oakland? We found one! It’s the Bellevue Club, a gem from a bygone era located on the edge of Lake Merritt. Opened as the Women’s Athletic Club in 1929, today it’s a private coed club, available for nonmember functions with member sponsorship.
Designed by architects Roeth and Bangs, this six-story building is more of a grand, Louis XIV-style French manor than a clubhouse. You enter a spacious, elegantly furnished lobby and take an elevator to the fourth floor for your celebration. You have your choice of four lovely rooms which, depending on the size of your party and budget, may be used in a number of combinations.
The Mural Lounge and the Main Dining Room (the two largest rooms) have billowing draperies, gilded moldings, marble fireplaces and two-story high ceilings, all reminiscent of a European castle. In fact, a 1949 book about the Club’s history describes the interior decoration as “inspired by Marie Antoinette’s Petit Trianon.” The Mural Lounge, a picturesque place for a ceremony, is named for the pastoral scenes painted over the fireplace and entryway. Other treasures fill the room: a whimsically hand-painted Mason Hamlin grand piano (that works), delicate porcelain figurines and a pair of bronze cherubs who sit atop a marble mantle clock. Rose-colored walls are punctuated with gilded moldings and decorative flower baskets done in gold relief. An additional benefit is that both the Main Dining Room and Mural Lounge have sweeping views of Lake Merritt.
The Main Dining Room is the Bellevue Club’s pice de rsistance. Hand-carved ornamentations, including small reliefs of women’s faces, grace the walls between enormous arched windows framed by flowering draperies. A crystal chandelier and wall sconces cast a soft glow over evening parties. And if you want to give your wedding a truly regal flair, conduct your toasting or bouquet-throwing from the fifth floor interior balcony, a lofty perch from which to survey your “kingdom” below. It’s also a wonderful vantage point for a photographer to capture aerial photos of your event.
Two smaller spaces, connected by a sunny enclosed terrace, are also highly detailed. The Wisteria Room is named for the flowered pattern on the hand-blocked linen drapery that frames two large brass windows with lake views; the Terrace Room is distinguished by a hand-painted mural above a black marble fireplace. And if you and some of your guests want to extend your stay, five guestrooms with full baths and some with private lakeside balconies provide pleasant and convenient overnight accommodations
