In 1933, the heart of the great depression, a group of Hoosiers under the leadership of the late James H. Makin rallied 10 of his closest friends at the Butler University Campus Club to his dream idea.....A membership owned Pool and Recreation area. At a second meeting, January 26th, 1933, each of these 10 men, friends of Makin, brought along 10 friends, and at each weekly meeting the attendance increased.

Charter memberships were only $10.00 per family and were pledged to be paid on the day construction began. As luck would have it, the day that construction started on the Riviera Club, the President closed the banks. This difficulty did not deter the Makins, and on May 18th, 48 days after construction started, the club house was completed. On June 1st, 1933 the pool opened. The work had been completed in eight weeks.USMS All American

The club became one of the most complete clubs of its kind in the nation. The clubhouse houses a large ballroom, dining room and two immense locker rooms, also a concession stand. The recreation building has two indoor pools, one a 25 years pool and another a 20 yard x 10 yard pool. Two gyms, two locker rooms and a large recreation room are also in the building. The large outdoor pool is laid out in such a way that it houses and official 50 meter course, 3 - 25 yard racing courses and a 75 meter course for the long distance swimmers. A separate diving pool, 45' long by 30' wide was added to the complex in 1958. It is 14' deep with only 6' underground, and 8' above ground where the walls are set with windows to allow spectators to view the divers as they slip through the water toward the bottom.

Other facilities include shuffleboard courts, tennis courts, a large patio adjacent to the large pool and picnic area along the banks of the White River.

           
                                                         To be continued...