Located in the heart of Chattanooga’s Southside, Common House No. 3 opened its doors in May 2021. As the house enters its second year, the establishment has proven to be anything but common.
Built in 1929, Common House No. 3 is housed in a restored, historic YMCA on Mitchell Avenue. With much of the building’s original, stunning design elements and unique structures remaining in-tact, members and guests find themselves transported back in time upon entering through the stately double doors.
Amenities including a billiards room, cabana, full-sized pool, co-working spaces, meeting rooms, podcast studio, dining spaces, garden, guest rooms, gym, social halls, lounging spaces and a terrace make the House a perfect location for working, getting away, or for hosting a private event.
With houses in Charlottesville, Richmond, and Chattanooga, Common Houses are modern social clubs that provide members with “an inclusive space to dine, work, and discover.” With a focus on community, intentional design, food and beverages, and programming, the Common House No. 3 is an escape for its 1850+ local members. Reciprocity among all three houses grants members access to other Common Houses and over twenty other private social clubs throughout the world.
As the House enters its second year, we spoke with Membership Director Rob Praino about the past year of Common House No. 3 and the organization’s plans for the future.
What are the overarching goals of Common House Chattanooga?
Praino: The goal for all Common Houses is that our membership reflects a snapshot of the community in which the House is located. Our membership reflects people of different age groups, different ethnicities, and people who live in different parts of Chattanooga. We want an educator, a homemaker, and a business professional to be able to walk in our doors and work side-by-side in a comfortable space.
Tell us about the membership diversity of Common House Chattanooga.
Praino: Diversity is a core concept of Common House. We work to ensure diversity is apparent in our membership, on our staff and teams, within our programming partners, and even among those we purchase our products from to serve to our members. While we still have work to do, diversity is important to us and is not just a box that we check.
What are some of the House’s primary successes from the past year?
Praino: Common House is a social hub we didn't know we needed or wanted in Chattanooga. It has become a comfortable space where people come for a purpose or to have somewhere to land. If we were to close our doors tomorrow (which we won’t), I think many of our members would wonder, "What do I do now?"
We have also made it a priority to partner with locals and local businesses who offer product lines, activities, and practices that we can bring to our members. We continue to find and feature local partners in order to expose them to our membership community and to expose our members to the greater Chattanooga community as well.
What are the future aspirations for Common House Chattanooga?
Praino: We are actively processing new memberships and are no longer on a wait list. We want to continue growing our membership and our focus on being a diverse space that connects communities within Chattanooga. We also want to continue refining our amenities and programming to reflect the things that our members want. Finally, we are excited to be announcing new locations in the near future.
Common House is a social hub we didn't know we needed in Chattanooga. It is a comfortable space where people come for a purpose or to have somewhere to land. If we were to close our doors tomorrow, many of our members would wonder, "What do I do now?"