Metropolitan Club


The Metropolitan Club of New York is a private social club in Manhattan, New York City. It was founded as a gentlemen's club in 1891 for men only, but it now allows women into membership.

History

The Metropolitan Club was formed in 1891 by J. P. Morgan, who served as its first president.
It was actually the second organization with that name in its neighborhood. The New York Times reported on Tuesday, March 10, 1891, about the name selected the prior Saturday:
There is already a Metropolitan Club, which for some years has occupied quarters in the neighborhood in which the millionaires think of building.

Actually, the first organization to claim the name "Metropolitan Club" seemed to be described by The Times for over a decade without the prefix "The".

Original members

Other original members of the club included William Kissam Vanderbilt and James A. Roosevelt. "Each member, which included Vanderbilts and Whitneys, contributed $5,000 to buy the plot of land."

The building

The architects of the original building were McKim, Mead & White.
The east wing, erected in 1912, was designed by Ogden Codman Jr.
Its 1894 clubhouse, designed by Stanford White, stands at 1-11 East 60th Street, on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue. The land on which the Clubhouse stands was acquired from the Duchess of Marlborough who signed the purchase agreement in the United States Consulate in London. Cornelius Vanderbilt II signed the purchase agreement on behalf of the club.
The address of the Club's building is One East 60th Street; the address for parking is 11 East 61st Street.

House rules

The Metropolitan Club was originally men-only. Today this is not the case, as noted in the DRESS CODE of the club's
.
Except in private spaces, "Cellular Phones" and Laptops are prohibited. There is no provision in the "No animals or pets are permitted" rule for seeing-eye dogs.

Activities

The club has had an ongoing involvement in the social life of the upper class: