History

The Waters
The history of The Waters dates back to 1903, when noted architect William Waters built the Georgian Revival building for the Oshkosh Yacht Club. It took only three months to build and opened just two days prior to the year’s Inland Sailing Championship. It was regarded as the finest clubhouse in the Midwest.

Summer regattas were organized with yachts invited to compete from other cities on the lake or other inland lakes. The regattas became the social events of the summer and much civic pride was demonstrated by area newspapers and those who crowded onto steamboats to witness the competition on Lake Winnebago.

The Waters building was later reclaimed by the City of Oshkosh due to payment default during periods of hard financial times. The City later sold the building to American Legion Post 70, who owned and maintained the property as their clubhouse for more than 60 years.

In the summer of 2007, the 105-year-old building was sold to Bill and Beth Wyman to be renovated for use as The Waters special events facility. While primarily used by The Waters, the American Legion Cook-Fuller Post 70 and the Oshkosh Yacht Club call this home.

William Waters

Few American cities can take pride in having so many of their historic buildings designed by a single architect. Oshkosh is one city that enjoys such a distinction. Architect William Waters lived and worked in the area from 1867 to 1917, leaving the mark of his talent in Oshkosh, the Fox Valley and in many other areas of Wisconsin.

Waters, born in 1843, came to Oshkosh as a young man from the state of New York. Attracted to Oshkosh by reconstruction opportunities after the great fires that ravaged the city in 1859, Waters immediately began designing important buildings such as the State Normal School (now the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh) and Brooklyn Firehouse (now McKnight & Carlson) in 1869. A successful career soon followed.

His greatest recognition came after winning a statewide architectural contest. His winning design, a three-story, 14,000 square-foot building, was the premier choice for the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago.

From 1867 until his death in December, 1917, Waters continued to leave his mark on Oshkosh. Today, the Grand Opera House, Oshkosh Public Library, Public Museum, most of Oshkosh’s older schools, beautiful churches, downtown buildings and some of our finest residences all lend their structure design to the prolific and masterful William Waters. In total, he designed more than 150 buildings.

William Waters is buried in Riverside Cemetery with other members of his family.