Saturn Club facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Saturn Club
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Saturn Club, April 2009
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 977 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, New York |
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| Area | 1.7 acres (0.69 ha) |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | Bley & Lyman; Williams, Harry |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000444 |
| Added to NRHP | May 19, 2005 |
The Saturn Club is a special private social club located in Buffalo, New York. It was started way back in 1885. Today, the club operates from a beautiful building at 977 Delaware Avenue. This building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a historic landmark!
Contents
A Club is Born: The Early Years
In 1885, thirteen young men in Buffalo decided to create a new kind of club. They wanted a place to hang out that was more relaxed than the formal clubs their fathers belonged to. The main founders were Carlton Sprague, William F. Kip, and Francis Almy. They gathered ten more friends, including John B. Olmsted and Ansley Wilcox.
They first met on Saturdays, which is how the club got its name, "Saturn Club." They would get together to socialize and play cards. Joining the club cost about $10 a month, and the first "initiation fee" was simply bringing a chair!
The founders wanted their club to feel a bit like a small college. So, their board of directors had unique titles like:
- Faculty
- Dean
- Registrar
- Bursar
At first, the members met in a house owned by Sprague's grandfather. By 1886, they rented three rooms at 640 Main Street. They moved a few more times, first to a small house at 331 Delaware Avenue in 1887, then to a larger cottage at 393 Delaware Avenue.
In 1889, the club officially became a formal organization. With 150 members, they decided it was time to build their very own clubhouse. They bought land at 417 Delaware Avenue and built a three-story brick building. This first clubhouse, designed by Marling & Burdett, opened on December 13, 1890.
During the 1890s, the club started offering more activities. Members could enjoy baseball games, listen to interesting lectures, attend fun costume balls, and watch vaudeville shows. They also started a library and held debates on important topics. Sometimes, they even debated with members from other clubs in Buffalo.
A famous visitor to the club was Theodore Roosevelt, who was the Governor of New York in 1900. He had dinner at the club during his visit to Buffalo.
In 1985, a big change happened: women were officially allowed to become full members of the club. Before this, women could use the club through connections with other clubs or their family members.
The Grand 1922 Building
Just 30 years after their first building opened, the club decided to build a new, even grander clubhouse. In December 1920, a committee suggested selling the old building and constructing a new one. Club member Duane Lyman, an architect, was asked to design the new clubhouse.
The club bought property at 977 Delaware Avenue. By February 1921, they approved Lyman's plans for a beautiful building in the Tudor Revival style.
The cornerstone for the new building was laid on October 21, 1921. Exactly one year later, on October 21, 1922, the new clubhouse was officially opened. This amazing building features an enclosed open courtyard. The whole project cost about $500,000 at the time.
Because of its historical and architectural importance, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Modern Updates and Style
In 2002, the club spent about $1 million on renovations. They added two new squash courts to their existing ones, allowing them to host bigger competitions. They also improved the locker rooms for both men and women and added new exercise equipment.
In 2014, the inside of the club got a stylish makeover. Designers focused on two main rooms: The Delaware Room and The Red Room. The Red Room now has a cozy fireplace and dark wood panels with rich red fabric. New drapes and furniture were added, along with a brown and red patterned carpet.
The Delaware Room has a lighter, cleaner look. It shows off large historic wall panels that picture scenes from seaside life. The fabrics in this room are striped with blues and beige colors, chosen to match the beautiful murals.
The Prohibition Era
During the time of Prohibition in the 1920s, it was against the law to make, sell, or transport alcoholic drinks. Even though the Saturn Club had a bar and a bartender, they didn't serve drinks directly. Members could keep their own items in private lockers. They could also order all the ingredients for a drink, except for the alcohol itself, which would be passed into the club rooms through a small sliding door.
On August 29, 1923, federal agents, led by William J. Donovan (who was actually a member of the club himself!), raided the Saturn Club. They found many bottles of various drinks in the members' lockers. The club's house committee told reporters that the drinks must have been brought in secretly by employees.
After the names of those involved were published in the newspaper, the club and its members agreed to a settlement. They also stopped using the special sliding doors.
Well-Known Members
Many important people have been members of the Saturn Club over the years. Here are some of them:
- Robert B. Adam, who started the AM&A's department store.
- John J. Albright, a business leader and giver to charity. The Albright Knox Art Gallery is named after him.
- Lawrence Bell, who founded the Bell Aircraft company.
- Edward Hubert Butler, Jr., who published the Buffalo Evening News newspaper.
- William J. Donovan, a soldier, lawyer, and intelligence officer.
- Anson Goodyear, who helped start the Museum of Modern Art.
- Charles W. Goodyear, who led many railway lines.
- George F. Goodyear, who was a historian for the Saturn Club.
- Northrup R. Knox and Seymour H. Knox III, who helped create the Buffalo Sabres hockey team.
- Duane Lyman, the architect who designed the club's current building.
- John R. Oishei, who founded the Trico company.
- Roswell Park, who started the Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
- George F. Rand, who was president of the Marine Midland Bank.
- E. Carleton Sprague, a lawyer and politician.
- Ansley Wilcox, a lawyer and scholar.
Images for kids
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Front page of the Buffalo Courier from August 29, 1923, showing news about the club.
