After launching a new webpage on Nov. 2, Cannon Dial Elm Club is soliciting donations for an upcoming renovation, titled “Thrive in ’25.”
According to the project website, the aim of “Thrive in ’25” is “building on our club’s success since 2011 by upgrading the Club facilities.” The club reopened in 2011, after closing in 1998, and is now aiming for $1.5 million in fundraising before the end of 2024.
“One thing I’ve learned in business is that you do the investment when things are going well,” Bernie Stiroh Jr. ’88, the secretary of the Cannon graduate board, told The Daily Princetonian in an interview. “We have a great membership, very much of a family atmosphere, very laid back. We’re healthy with our membership. We’re healthy financially. So now’s the time to invest in the future.”
Donations will be matched dollar for dollar by both Cannon and the group’s “Elite Sponsors,” the club’s top financial supporters, tripling donation impact towards the funding goal. Individuals who make significant donations can be recognized on the Cannon website, on P-Rade party signage, and gain naming rights to various parts of the club. For donations in excess of $100,000, donors may choose to have a room in the club named after them.
Young alumni are also being solicited for donations though a contest between class years. The class with the largest total donations and the class with the greatest participation rate will both be recognized by name on a plaque in the new dining room, given special recognition at Reunions and on the Cannon website, and receive “VIP service at the post P-rade party.”
Stiroh told the ‘Prince’ that Cannon has had generous financial support in the past, and both recent graduates and alumni from decades ago are interested in the project.
While the site describes the current financial state of Cannon as “sound,” the fundraising stems from a need for renovations. The most recent major round of donations occurred in 2011, raising $3.5 million for the reopening of Cannon.
The 2011 opening brought together three eating clubs — Cannon Club, Dial Lodge, and Elm Club. The three clubs merged into Dial Elm Cannon in 1991. In 1999, the merged club traded the Dial and Elm properties to the University in exchange for the Cannon property. The original Dial and Elm buildings now house the Bendheim Center for Finance and the Carl A. Fields Center, respectively.
Stiroh, who was an officer for Dial Club, emphasized that since Dial and Elm no longer own their previous buildings, alumni from all previous eating clubs now call Cannon home.
“The reactions we’ve gotten from our alumni are just tremendous,” he said. “We have a huge alumni base. When we talk to people, I think the biggest thing is they love the facilities. And everybody loves having a home.”
Certain goals of the renovation address practical issues, such as replacing kitchen equipment that is currently “nearing end-of-life” according to the project webpage, while others tackle club culture and ambience. Stiroh noted that workspace renovations envision a more “modern” layout and design.
“The overall feel of the club — that’s not changing,” Stiroh said. “That balance between new and tradition is something you always have to have.”
Through these improvements, Cannon aims to remain competitive with other bicker clubs for recruitment during Street Week. The site, in a bid to draw donations to the projects, mentions that many of the other eating clubs have either already upgraded their facilities or have made plans to do so.
While not a bicker club, Charter Club has also announced plans to undergo a $6.1 million renovation. In the past 13 years, other clubs have undergone renovations and expansions as Princeton’s student body continues to expand.
“The main reason we’re doing this is to make it better for our existing members and our new members coming on,” Stiroh asserted.
Cannon aims to begin renovations in summer 2025. The renovated club would be open by Labor Day 2025, and prepared for the 2025–26 academic year.
Isabella Roberts is a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Elisabeth Stewart is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ who typically covers student groups and religious life on campus.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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