Superb point. It is still possible to sit in the grill room at the Algonquin and to visualize the literary lions that were at the round table every day.

The Yale club has been redone, but is still possible to walk through the second floor reading room and watch all of the old guys dozing in the afternoon sun.

The second floor grill room of the NYAC hasn't changed much. It is still possible to sit there and "watch the damned people get wet", on a rainy day,as Fitzgerald, or someone once said.

Oyster bar is indeed still a classic. View from the bar in the Plaza looking out at Central Park, makes the outrageous cost of a drink seem like a bargain.

If you filter out much of the merchandise, it is still great to go in the Madison Ave door of BB. The Golden Fleece in the elevator, helps you go back to other days.

JP in NYC has changed, but the New Haven store is still a trip into TNSIL nostalgia.

Thanks for the memories!

http://www.observer.com/2007/caf-society

Since the Q club in New Haven was mentioned, it seems like most of the original "University Clubs" have done a lot to retain their look of the 50s. It is often referred to as shabby elegance.

There are a lot that I haven't seen, but these don't seem to have changed much:

Harvard Club, NYC
Yale Club,NYC
Princeton (and Columbia Club),NYC
Nassau Club, Princeton
Hartford Club, Hartford
NYAC

A whole bunch more, I'm sure, that I've never seen.

Most of these would seem to have a rather short life expectancy, with a few obvious exceptions. The problem is that a lot of young potential members don't join. They have very limited amounts of time and would rather order pizza after getting off of the train. They have young children, and feel guilty that they don't spend enough time with them to go to a club where children usually don't fit.

Ergo, as the older members die off, membership shrinks, dues go up to cover fixed costs, and membership goes into a death spiral, until they close.

The Downtown Athletic Club in NYC illustrates the point. This is the place where the Heisman was originated. Club went into a death spiral in the 70s,went bankrupt, and the Heisman is now awarded at the Yale CLub.

All of these are run by volunteer boards. Some are good, many are not. The product suffers, and the death spiral begins to quicken.

An example of the reluctance of younger people to join, is the fact that the Princeton Club of NYC, now has a table set up during home football games trying to sign up new members. Doesn't seem to be working all that at well, sadly.

So I gather:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/23/locke_ober_cancels_lunch/

--comments are priceless...nobody has respect for history.
....
From my parts:

http://www.hartfordclub.com/fw/main/Home-1.html

http://thamesclub.org/

Tom swears by the Anchor in New Haven...it's not the same kind of place as the above, but it still works.

and one for the ladies:

http://www.towncounty.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&PageId=209446&ssid=52002&vnf=1


The old restaurants and the other men's clubs around here are long gone...the last I believe was the University Club which folded in the mid-90s.  It's become a bland office-park of a city.

Last edited by Coolidge (2009-01-26 19:45:53)

Being a member of the generation of Cooly's parents, or grandparents, he is right.

Another problem that is hastening the demise of these clubs involves the pressure that prospective members are facing today. The initiation fee of the club that I am familiar with is $2,000, and annual dues @$1,000 for nothing fancy, and with no athletic facilities. Not many left in the age 30 to 40 age group that want to spend money on a private club, in these times.

When the rest of us are gone, that will be the end.

The history of the Hartford Club brings back fond memories. One episode that didn't make the list of guests; was the Australian tennis team that played in the Aetna tournament, that took place in the '70s. That tournament was a big deal in those days. That is why Arthur Ashe was on the guest list. He was on the Aetna Board, and had a hand in bringing in the best players.

The Australian team had a private party on the second floor of the Hartford Club. It developed into a full fledged food fight with significant damage to the room, that I think that Aetna agreed to pay for.