The Yale Club of New York City facts for kids
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| Established | 1897 |
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| Type | Private club for Yale alumni and faculty |
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The Yale Club of New York City, often called the Yale Club, is a special private club in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Most of its members are people who studied or taught at Yale University. The Yale Club has over 11,000 members from all over the world. Its huge 22-story building at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue opened in 1915. When it was finished, it was the biggest club building in the world. It is still the largest club ever built for a college.
Contents
The Clubhouse Building
The Yale Club building is located at 50 Vanderbilt Avenue. It is right across from Grand Central Terminal and the MetLife Building. This makes it easy to find and visit.
The Yale Club shares its building with clubs for people from Dartmouth College and the University of Virginia. This means members from these other clubs can also use the Yale Club's facilities. The area around the club is also home to other famous clubs and stores. The Yale Club building itself is a special New York City landmark.
Inside the Clubhouse
The 22-story building has many cool features. There are three places to eat, like the "Tap Room" and the "Grill Room." It also has four bars and big rooms for parties that can hold up to 500 people. One of these is the Grand Ballroom on the 20th floor.
The club has 138 guest rooms where members can stay. There is also a library, a fitness center, and three squash courts. You can even find a swimming pool and a barber shop there!
The main lounge is the heart of the club. It is a large room with a fancy ceiling and big columns. The walls are decorated with fireplaces and pictures of five U.S. presidents. All these presidents went to Yale and were members of the Yale Club. They include William Howard Taft, Gerald R. Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Above the main staircase, you can see a portrait of Elihu Yale, who Yale University is named after. There is also a portrait of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Club History
How the Club Started
The Yale Club was created in 1897. It was started by a group called the Old Yale Alumni Association of New York. This group had been around for 29 years and wanted a permanent place to meet.
One of the people who helped start the club was Senator Chauncey Depew. His portrait from 1890 hangs in the building today. The first president of the Yale Club was a lawyer named Thomas Thacher. The club's first home was a rented building at 17 East 26th Street. In 1901, the club built a 12-story building at 30 West 44th Street. This building is now home to the Penn Club of New York.
The current Yale Club building opened in June 1915. An architect and Yale graduate named James Gamble Rogers designed it. He worked on it while Grand Central Terminal was being built. The club's location was chosen because some people believed it was where Yale graduate Nathan Hale was captured. He was a spy during the American Revolution. However, where Hale was caught has been debated more recently.
Recent Times
In July 1999, the Yale Club changed its dress code. It became the first of New York's Ivy League university clubs to allow "business casual" clothes. This meant members could wear slightly less formal outfits. Today, the dress code is still business casual. However, you need to wear proper athletic clothes in the sports areas. In 2012, the club started allowing denim (jeans) in some areas. These areas include the library, the Grill Room, and the rooftop terrace in summer. The jeans must be neat and clean.
After the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Heisman Trophy was presented at the Yale Club. The Heisman Trophy is a famous award given to the best college football player. It was presented there in 2002 and 2003. The 2002 winner was quarterback Carson Palmer from USC. The 2003 winner was quarterback Jason White from the University of Oklahoma. Before these events, the trophy was shown in the Yale Club's lobby. It was displayed next to pictures of Yale's two Heisman winners, Larry Kelley (1936) and Clint Frank (1937).
In 2007, a former government official named Robert Bork had an accident at the club. He fell while trying to reach a stage to speak. He later settled the issue with the club.
Who Can Join the Club?
To become a member of the Yale Club, you must be a graduate or a faculty member of Yale University. Full-time graduate students at Yale can also join. Children of members can also become members. The club sends out a newsletter to its members every month.
For a long time, Yale College did not allow women to be students until 1969. Before that, wives of members had to use a separate entrance at the club. They were also not allowed in many parts of the building. But once Yale University started accepting women, the club quickly followed. On July 30, 1969, women were allowed to join. However, it took a few more years for women to use all the facilities. The bar, dining room, and athletic areas opened to women in 1974. The swimming pool opened to women in 1987. Now, many women are members of the club.
Three other smaller clubs also use the Yale Club's building. These are the Dartmouth Club, the Virginia Club, and the Delta Kappa Epsilon Club. Members of these clubs can use all the same facilities as Yale Club members.
In 1997, a book about the club's 100th anniversary was published. It said that famous members at that time included George H. W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, John Kerry, and George Pataki. Other notable members were architect Cesar Pelli and author David McCullough. Today, the Yale Club has more than 11,000 members around the world.
See also
- Columbia University Club of New York
- Cornell Club of New York
- Harvard Club of Boston
- Harvard Club of New York City
- Penn Club of New York City
- Princeton Club of New York
- List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
