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...

Riding Clubs were not restricted to New York, but could also be found in many other cities, such as Washington. In February 1910, the Riding Club of Washington was organized and acquired a clubhouse at southwest  corner of 22nd Street and P Street NW. Originally built in 1887 by J.D. Brown, the building was originally Washington Riding Academy, opening in January 1888. Costing about $150,000 and occupying a 13,000 square foot footprint, the building was four stories with two stories below the pavement. Visitors entered the main or riding floor directly from the street.  The ground floor was the carriage room and used iron columns to allow it to fully occupy the footprint of the building. In this vast room, 250 carriages could be stored. This room was accessed through seven large stone arches. The second floor was set aside for stables, consisting of 150 5'x9' stalls. large windows opened out on every side and in one corner there was a saddle and harness ro...

All built environments are made up of more than just houses. From government buildings, to shops, to recreational facilities, we are surrounded by structures to provide for the support of our houses and lives. In this blog I will investigate some of these other buildings as well. At the beginning of the 20th century, horses were still a major part of American life, not just for transportation, but also for recreation. And in many cities, facilities for recreational were built in proximity to public parks where riders could access the bridle paths which were laid out for their use. Founded in 1881 as the Gentlemen's Riding Club at the old Dickel Riding School at Fifth Avenue and 39th Street, its name was changed in 1883 to the Riding Club. Soon after its 1883 re-organization, the club too possession of a new $60,000 clubhouse on 58th Street nearby Central Park. When this clubhouse was built, the private entrance was on 58th street, and the entrance for riders was on 59th street....