Rainier Club facts for kids
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Rainier Club
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 Location in Seattle WA Downtown
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| Location | 810 4th Ave., Seattle, Washington |
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| Built | 1903 |
| Architect | Cutter & Malmgren |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival, Jacobethan Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001889 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 22, 1976 |
The Rainier Club is a special private club located in Seattle, Washington. It's often called "Seattle's most important private club." The building where the club meets was finished in 1904. It is now listed as a historic place on the National Register of Historic Places.
The club started way back in 1888. At that time, Washington was still a territory, not yet a state. The club has been around for a long time, and by 2008, it had about 1,300 members.
Contents
History of the Club
The idea for the Rainier Club began on February 23, 1888. Six important leaders from Seattle met and decided to create it. The club officially started on July 25, 1888.
Some of the first people at that meeting were J. R. McDonald, who was president of a railway company, and John Leary, a real estate developer and former mayor of Seattle. Other founders included Norman Kelly, R. C. Washburn, an editor, and Bailey Gatzert, another former mayor.
Why the Name "Rainier"?
The club is named after a British admiral named Peter Rainier. The name might have been chosen because of a friendly competition between Seattle and Tacoma. People in Tacoma really wanted the mountain now called Mount Rainier to be named "Mount Tacoma."
In 1892, the Rainier Club even sent a group to Washington, D.C. to argue for the name "Rainier." The club's symbol was inspired by the Union Club in Victoria, British Columbia, which started in 1877.
How the Club Became Official
When the Rainier Club first started in 1888, the laws in the Washington Territory did not allow private clubs. So, the club was first set up as a men's boarding house and restaurant.
Later, on January 18, 1899, the club officially became a private club. This happened after a new state law was passed in 1895 that allowed such clubs.
Club Buildings Over Time
The Rainier Club's first home was inside a large 22-room house. This house belonged to James McNaught and was located on Fourth Avenue. Today, the Seattle Central Library stands on that same spot.
Mr. McNaught was happy to have the club as a tenant. He was moving to St. Paul, Minnesota for a job with the Northern Pacific Railroad. After the Great Seattle Fire in 1889, much of the city was destroyed. McNaught's house also served as a temporary city hall. This brought even more city leaders to the club.
The club did not stay at McNaught's house for long. They moved to the Bailey Building in February 1893. After a short time there, the club moved again. This time, they found a home in the new Seattle Theatre building. Today, the Arctic Building is on that site.
The Current Clubhouse
In 1903, the Rainier Club bought its current property. It is located at Fourth Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Seattle. The clubhouse was designed by an architect named Kirtland Cutter from Spokane, Washington. It was completed and opened in 1904.
Later, in 1929, Seattle architect Carl F. Gould added a new south wing to the building. He also designed a new entrance in the Georgian style. Inside, he added some Art Deco decorations.
Exciting Club Activities
The Rainier Club has been a starting point for many important events. In 1899, many members of the Harriman Alaska expedition began their journey from the club. Famous people like E. H. Harriman, John Burroughs, John Muir, Edward S. Curtis, and Henry Gannett started their trip to places like Seal Island from the club. They also celebrated there when they returned.
Gifford Pinchot, who helped create the United States Forest Service and Mount Rainier National Park, was a guest at the Rainier Club. About ten years later, Edward S. Curtis, a club member, joined Theodore Roosevelt on a visit to the new park. The Rainier Club owns many of Curtis's photos from that trip.
Shaping Seattle's Future
Club members also helped plan the Alaska–Yukon–Pacific Exposition (A–Y–P Exposition) of 1909. This big fair is said to have "put the City of Seattle on the map." One lasting result of the fair is the beautiful landscaping of the University of Washington campus. The Olmsted firm, which helped with the fair, also designed Seattle's system of parks and boulevards.
Challenges and Changes
During the time of Prohibition, when alcohol was not allowed, private clubs like the Rainier Club faced new rules. When Washington state stopped allowing alcohol in 1916, the club could no longer serve drinks. The club had a rule that employees could not have alcohol for sale on the premises. However, this rule did not mention if members could have their own alcohol.
The club also faced tough times during the Great Depression. They had just built a new part of the clubhouse in 1929. But soon, many members left, and it was hard to find new ones who could pay the fees. To get more members, the joining fee was lowered from $500 to $200 in 1932. By October 1933, it was only $100. Membership dropped from 851 to 615 in just three years.
When Prohibition ended, the club benefited. New state laws made it easier for private clubs to serve drinks. Later, in 1948, when alcohol sales became legal again in Washington, the club's joining fee was lowered once more.
Important City Events
Fifty years after the A-Y-P Exposition, Rainier Club members played a big part in the Century 21 Exposition. This was Seattle's 1962 world's fair. Eddie Carlson, who was president of Western International Hotels, was a main leader for the fair. Many of the planning meetings were held at the Rainier Club.
In 1993, U.S. president Bill Clinton held two important meetings at the Rainier Club. These meetings were with leaders from Japan and China as part of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). These were the first APEC meetings held in the U.S.
Club Membership
When the Rainier Club first started, only white men could be members. But over time, the club became more open. The first Japanese American member, Saburo Nishimuro, joined on November 25, 1966. The first African American member, Luther Carr, joined on July 25, 1978. And the first woman member, Judge Betty Fletcher, joined on August 22, 1978. Judge Fletcher was also the first woman to lead the Seattle-King County Bar Association.
Other well-known members have included people from the Blethen family, who own The Seattle Times. Art collectors like Dr. Richard Fuller, who started the Seattle Art Museum, and H. C. Henry, who started the Henry Art Gallery, were also members.
Many famous people have visited the clubhouse. These visitors include John Philip Sousa, Buffalo Bill Cody, and U.S. President William Howard Taft. Other notable guests were General Douglas MacArthur, baseball legend Babe Ruth, and explorer Robert E. Peary. Early trade groups from Japan also visited the club between 1893 and 1911.
See also
- List of American gentlemen's clubs
