The Visiting List

Once upon a time, Baltimore, like many American cities, had a number of private clubs. Formed for a variety of purposes a few still survive to this day, but quite a few succumbed, first to the Great Depression, and secondly to the economic decline of cities in the 1960s and 70s as well as a movement away from membership in such organizations. Yet today, you can still find reminders of these clubs of days gone by in the architecture of American cities. Their buildings have been adapted and reused for a variety of purposes, but they remain part of the landscape. Former Baltimore Club on the right The Baltimore Club was organized on January 9, 1878. Composed largely of the sons of members of the Maryland Club. It was to the Maryland Club what the Calumet was to the Union or the Rittenhouse was to the Philadelphia. "Smoking Room," which appears in the plans below as the "Main Hall" In 1887 a new clubhouse opened for the Baltimore Club. It was designed by J.A. & W.T....

Over the years, yachting was a popular pastime at Bar Harbor. Frequently this was in the form of the Summer cruises of the New York Yacht Club or the Eastern Yacht Club. But eventually this would lead to the creation of Bar Harbor Yacht Club. This club actually had three iterations over time, before the current club, each with its own unique burgee. Burgee of the first Bar Harbor Yacht Club 1885-1887 The first Bar Harbor Yacht Club was organized on July 21, 1885 with William Minot of Boston as Commodore, Aulick Palmer as Vice Commodore, and Authur Ryerson of Chicago as Secretary and Treasurer. Newspaper records show it active from 1885 to 1887. Its first regatta was held August 15, 1885.  Minot was an estate and trust lawyer as well as president of the Mass achusetts Hospital Life Insurance Company. Ryerson became Commodore in 1886. The last recorded regatta of the first Bar Harbor Yacht Club was held on August 25, 1887. At that time Ryerson was serving as Secretary of the club. Bu...

We return to Newport and a cottage originally designed by Peabody & Stearns of Boston in May 1897. "Hopedene" sits near the northern end of Cliff Walk overlooking Rhode Island Sound. Elizabeth Hope Gammell Slater of Washington inherited the land on which "Hopedene" was built from her grandfather Robert Hale Ives in 1896. By May 1898 Peabody & Stearns had created plans for a villa which was inspired residences which she had seen in Europe. But the cottage alone did not alter the Newport landscape. Beginning in  July 1899 Slater had a new road laid out (todays Gammell Road originally known as Ocean Lawn Road) in continuation of Cliff Avenue, leading to her new residence and connecting with a road laid out in 1898 east from Annadale Road. This new road was built of macadam of a very substantial manner and made it a pleasant connection between Annandale Road and Bath Road (todays Memorial Boulevard). Garden Side View of "Hopedene" Garden View of "...