Century Association

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Coordinates: 40°45′16.5″N 73°58′51.5″W / 40.754583°N 73.980972°W / 40.754583; -73.980972
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The Century Association
Map
Coordinates40°45′16.5″N 73°58′51.5″W / 40.754583°N 73.980972°W / 40.754583; -73.980972
Built1889-1891
Renaissance Revival)
NRHP reference No.82003369[3]
NYCL No.0257[6]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 15, 1982
Designated NYCLJanuary 11, 1967

The Century Association is a private

men's club
, women first became active in club life in the early 1900s; the organization began admitting women as members in 1988.

Named after the first 100 people proposed as members, the first meeting on January 13, 1847, created the club known as the Century; it was incorporated in 1857. It was first housed at 495 Broadway in

U.S. Sanitary Commission
. 134 Centurions served in World War I; 110 served in World War II.

The clubhouse, a five-story

New York City Landmark in 1967 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1982. It was extensively renovated in the early 1990s, with a fifth floor and terrace constructed in 2009.

Members of the club have included artists and writers

Dan Beard, J. P. Morgan, Samuel Morse, and Anson Phelps Stokes
.

History

The Century Association resulted from the merger of two earlier

Sketch Club had focused on literature and the arts, while the Column Club had been a Columbia University alumni organization. The initial invitation for the combined club was sent to one hundred men, which became the basis for the name "The Century", later slightly altered to the Century Association.[9]
: 2 

The club rented a variety of temporary locations in Manhattan, gravitating to the area around

Madison Square. Among these locations were over Del Vecchio's picture store at 495 Broadway, 435 Broome Street, over a millinery shop at 575 Broadway, and 24 Clinton Place (later redesignated 46 East 8th Street). Rapid growth in membership to 250 led the club to incorporate and purchase a permanent location in 1857.[10][9]
: 2 

The League to Enforce Peace was created in 1915, proposed at the Century by Theodore Marburg. The organization continued hosting dinners there in 1916 and 1917.[11]: 96–7 

The US entered its Prohibition era in 1919 with the enactment of the Volstead Act. One year later, club president Elihu Root conveyed to the US Supreme Court that should the court find the act constitutional, Congress would have no limitations, changing the nature of the federal government.[11]: 103 

At the start of the Prohibition era, a pantry was converted into the club's bar. Alcohol was not sold or served in accordance with the

Italian Swiss Colony-brand bottle, signed by nine Centurions.[12]: 99  The bottle had been kept at the bar since then.[12]
: 31 

By 1928, with the country still prohibiting alcohol, the Centurion Herbert Hoover was elected as the next President of the United States. No Centurions reportedly voted for him due to his support of Prohibition, though members were still cordial to Hoover, as club members have always held a traditional agreement to keep business and political affairs outside of the club.[11]: 106 

In 1929, the Great Depression began to affect all of America, triggered by the Wall Street Crash of 1929 that October. The Century Association initially kept spirits high, with the same affairs and discussions at the club. On that New Year's Eve, a member donated suckling pigs for those present to enjoy with music and wine.[11]: 106–7  Throughout the year, artists, sculptors, and authors began to be affected; however by 1931, the club's assets began growing again and funds began to multiply.[11]: 108–9 

In 1940, President Roosevelt made the

Destroyers for Bases Agreement; this is attributed to his men, known as the Century Group, having held fortnightly dinners at the Century to discuss aiding the war effort.[11]
: 96 

In 1941, as the U.S. entered World War II, club members began to enter the Army or Navy.[11]: 136  The club put up a military map of Europe in its halls, which General Horace Sewell, part of New York's British Library of Information, maintained daily.[11]: 140  In late 1945, members began returning from the armed forces; the club gave an official welcome back to the veterans in spring 1946.[11]: 145  110 members served during the war, as well as 12 members of the club's staff. They held ranks from private to major general or rear admiral in the war. Medals awarded included 4 Distinguished Service Medals and 16 Legion of Merit awards, among other US and international awards.[11]: 151 

On January 13, 1947, the club celebrated its 100th year with a celebration and annual meeting, attended by 400 members.[5]: 79 

Around 1985, the issue of admitting women into the club arose. Judge Robert Bork resigned from the association that year, having also signed a petition in favor of the club's admittance of female club members.[13] Beginning in 1986, the city government began to investigate the club, along with two others, for discrimination against women.[14] Public Law 63, a New York City law enacted in October 1984,[15] made it illegal for clubs to discriminate based on sex, race, origin, or other factors, unless the club was "distinctly private", defined as having fewer than 400 members and not providing regular meals or collecting regular dues or payment from nonmembers.[14] In 1987, the law was brought before the New York Court of Appeals; the Century vowed to follow the law and admit women if the law was upheld, or to do nothing if the law was repealed.[15] The 1987 vote passed with 71 percent in favor; the first poll, in 1982, passed by 80 percent and a 1985 poll was almost evenly split. Some members declared that they would resign if the club refused to admit women; some declared they would resign if it did begin admitting them.[16] Some members stated they would rather withdraw amenities and become a distinctly private club. The University Club, in the same predicament at the time, voted to not comply with the law, leaving the city to enforce it.[15]

Members were divided on the issue, as some found that the convening of "authors, artists and amateurs" would not change with the admittance of women; others determined "delightful difference of the sexes" was a benefit not to be eliminated by what was deemed a "fashionable whim".[15] Women first were admitted as members to the club in 1988, after further contentious debates.[17]

In late 2010, the members of the Century Association began to debate whether the club should end its reciprocity agreement with the Garrick Club in London, which allowed women to enter only in the company of men. After debating, the members voted to end the reciprocity agreement on March 1, 2011.[18] One Garrick Club member told London's The Daily Telegraph that he "would not be mourning the loss of his colonial cousins – or access to their facilities."[19] A male Century Association member told the New York Observer that giving up infrequent visits to the Garrick Club "versus condoning the discrimination of women" seemed like "a pretty easy trade-off".[20]

Locations and architecture

Early homes

The club's fourth home, on 8th Street, was first occupied by the association in 1852. Henry L. Pierson supervised the move-in, and used his collection of copies of casts of the works of Bertel Thorvaldsen to adorn the rooms. Other members gave similar artworks to decorate.[11]: 8  It was kept like a residential home on the first floor, and with the oil paintings and small tables.

42 East 15th Street

15th Street location

The club's first permanent headquarters was an existing two-and-one-half-story residence at 42

Irving Place. Built in about 1847 and purchased by the Century Association in 1857 for $24,000, the dwelling was extensively remodeled four times during its 34 years as a clubhouse. The first time was immediately upon purchase under the direction of New York architect Joseph C. Wells, a Centurion. Expanded at a cost of $11,000, the renovated building was more than twice the size of the original house and styled like an Italian palazzo with facing of ashlar or possibly stucco treated to resemble ashlar masonry.[10][9]
: 2 

Continuing its growth in both membership and programs during and after the Civil War, the Century Association required larger facilities. Although the club's members considered moving, financial constraints led them in 1867 to ask member and architect Charles D. Gambrill (1834–1880) to enlarge their existing structure. Gambrill's plans called for internal alterations, an expansion to the rear to accommodate an art gallery on the second floor and a billiard room on the main floor, a mansard roof, and a new unified, brick exterior trimmed with Lockport limestone. The rear extension was promptly completed, but for reasons no longer understood the rest of work was delayed until 1869.[9]: 2–3 

By the time construction began again, Gambrill had replaced his previous partner,

École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris equipped him to design in neo-Grec with its abstracted classical features that worked well in modern materials such as the brick employed here.[4][9]: 3–4  In 1878, Gambrill and Richardson dissolved their partnership, and in the same year Richardson made yet further modifications to the clubhouse.[10]

The building is the oldest surviving clubhouse in Manhattan, and has been a

New York City landmark since 1993.[4] The exterior was restored and the interior converted in 1996–97[4] by Beyer Blinder Belle,[21] and in recent years it has been the Century Center for the Performing Arts, which had a 248-seat theatre, a ballroom and a studio. As of 2006 it is the New York production facility for Trinity Broadcasting Network, a religious television company.[22]

Current location

In 1891, the Century Association left 15th Street for its current location, an

New York City Landmark in 1967,[4] and has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. The clubhouse was restored by the architect Jan Hird Pokorny in 1992.[4]

Notable members

The Century Association counts about 2,000 current members

Herbert C. Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower.[24]

Chief Justices have included

Edward T. Sanford, and Potter Stewart.[24]

Honorary members

The club has a tradition of selecting existing members as honorary members. These have included:

Henry Codman Potter, William Dean Howells, Charles Collins, Elihu Root, George Haven Putnam, Alexander Dana Noyes, Royal Cortissoz, and Henry Crampton.[11]
: 302 

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b "The Century Association". Century Association. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  2. ^ Grynbaum, Michael M. (February 21, 2016). "Election of a Female President Opens a New Era for a Former Boys Club". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Century Association Building" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. July 15, 1982. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1
    .
  5. ^ a b c Duffy, James, ed. (1997). The Century at 150: Excerpts from the Archives. New York, New York: The Century Association – via CAAF.
  6. ^ "The Century Association" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. January 11, 1967. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  7. ^ a b "Century Archives – The Century Association Archives Foundation". centuryarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  8. ^ a b "Century Archives – The Century Association Archives Foundation". centuryarchives.org. Retrieved 2023-08-15.
  9. ^ a b c d e Breiner, David (January 5, 1993). "(Former) Century Association Building" (PDF). New York: New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.
  10. ^
    ISBN 978-0-262-65015-1
    .
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Commager, Henry Steele; Pringle, Henry F.; Burlingame, Roger (1947). The Century, 1847–1946. New York, New York: The Century Association. Retrieved August 18, 2017 – via CAAF.
  12. ^ a b Cooper Jr., Henry S.F. (1997). Inside the Century (2nd ed.). New York, New York: The Century Association – via CAAF.
  13. ^ "BORK QUIT AN ALL-MALE CLUB AFTER DISPUTE OVER SEX BIAS". The New York Times. August 11, 1987. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  14. ^ a b Norman, Michael (January 31, 1986). "An Inquiry On 3 Private Clubs Weighs Bias Against Women". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  15. ^ a b c d "Authors, Artists, Amateurs and Women". The New York Times. January 22, 1987. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  16. ^ McGill, Douglas C. (September 1, 1987). "Century Club Backs Admitting Women". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  17. ^ Collins, Glen (January 23, 2002). "A Clubhouse Divided Over Taking In Guests; Century Members Debate Rentals". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  18. ^ Barbaro, Michael (February 9, 2011). "At Elite Club, Debate Over More Exclusive One". The New York Times.
  19. ^ Swaine, Jon (10 February 2011). "New York's Century Association severs ties with London's Garrick Club". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  20. ^ Freeman, Nate (March 2, 2011). "Clash of the Centurions: Gender Spat Splits a Venerable Redoubt". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011.
  21. ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5
    .
  22. ^ World's largest religious TV network buys performing arts center at the Cushman & Wakefield website (August 6, 2006)
  23. ISBN 0300055366
    .
  24. ^ a b Nathan, Frederic S. (2010). Centurions in Public Service (PDF). New York, New York: Century Association Archives Foundation. Retrieved August 18, 2017 – via CAAF.

Bibliography

  • Century Association. The Century, 1847–1946. (1947)
  • Duffy, James (ed.) The Century at 150: Excerpts from the Archives. (1997)
  • Gourlie, John Hamilton. The Origin and History of the Century. (1856)
  • Mayor, A. Hyatt & Davis, Mark. American Art at the Century. (1977)
  • Nathan, Frederic S. Centurions In Public Service. (2010)

Further reading

Library resources about
Century Association
  • The Century, 1847–1946. New York, New York: The Century Association. 1947. Retrieved August 18, 2017. For further information on the history of the club.
  • Mayor, A. Hyatt; Davis, Mark (1977). American Art at the Century. New York, New York: The Century Association. For further information on the club's art collection.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Century Association.
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