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Located at 1 West 54th street, the University Club of New York is one of the most prestigious and exclusive social clubs in the city. Founded in 1865 by graduates of Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, the club elected not to be affiliated with these institutions and instead formed an independent charter. The original members who initiated the idea for the club were even more exclusive and can be traced to a small group of friends who all graduated from Yale around 1861, and for years Yalies dominated the club’s roster.
Sound like it's on the same level as the Illuminati? It almost is.
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A New Clubhouse
By the late 1890’s it was clear that the club was outgrowing its then current home in Rose Hill. Club member Charles McKim, a graduate of Harvard, and a partner of the most prestigious architecture firm of the time was asked to draw plans for the new clubhouse. After acquiring the land of the former St Luke’s Hospital site on Fifth Avenue, the club proceeded with its expansion plans.
18 Schools, Much Exclusion
The building was erected in 1899 in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo. The pink-grey granite façade was studded with the seals of 18 eastern colleges and universities and adorned with several mottos paying homage to the value of a proper education. The task to select the 18 schools was then sent to a committee in attempts to make the club’s membership more diversely representative.
Opening the Doors a Little Wider
Ultimately, it was decided that in order to not to offend the current membership, the criterion for selection would be those schools with the greatest roster and not any other evaluation of merit, longevity or status. The final list includes all the Ivy’s and the Military and Naval academies, among others. The members of each school were then required to pay for the cutting of their respective seals.
A Gentleman's Club of a Higher Order
Inside the club are some of the more lavish facilities in any club house in New York. The club prides itself on its library, claiming it to be the largest in any private club. Additional sports facilities, including squash courts, make it a true gentleman’s club in all intents.
Putting An End to Segregation of the Sexes
However, in 1987, after nearly 122 years of an exclusive men’s only policy, the club’s gender policies were challenged in the Court of Appeals, and to avoid a possible embarrassing loss, the membership elected to admit women. The only three remaining clubs in the city that still bar women are the Holland Society, the Brook Club and the New York Racquet and Tennis Club (not to be confused with the NY Health and Racquet Club).