Down Town Association
Encyclopedia
The Down Town Association in the City of New York (usually referred to as the Down Town Association) is a private club
in Downtown Manhattan
, New York City
, New York
, USA
. Located at 60 Pine Street, is the fifth oldest of all existing New York private clubs, and was the first formed in Lower Manhattan. The organizational meeting, which resulted in the formation of the Association, was held at the Astor House
on December 23, 1859. The first general meeting of the Association was held on February 14, 1860, and a charter
was granted by an act of the legislature
of the State of New York on April 17, 1860.
Clubhouse, a New York City landmark, was designed by C.C. Haight, a member of the Association, and was opened on May 23, 1887. Land, building and furnishings cost $306,669.25. The Clubhouse is the oldest clubhouse in New York built for and still occupied by its members and is the second such oldest (behind the Hope Club of Providence) in the United States. In 1902 a major renovation converted the original Victorian
interiors to Edwardian and a partial sixth floor containing a laundry
and other staff quarters was added to the original five story structure. In 1910, Charles Wetmore of the firm of Warren & Wetmore, a member of the Association, was engaged to plan an addition which was completed on March 16, 1911, at a cost of $175,556.76. The addition, in an exterior style sympathetic to the original, added several private dining rooms as well as the magnificent Jacobean
-style panelled Reading Room on a new mezzanine
level.
Built and used until 1995 solely as a luncheon club, the DTA is now the only full service social club in Lower Manhattan, with dinner and events on many evenings, a new gym on the top floor and full staffing throughout the day from early breakfast to evening drinks. Membership was originally restricted to men but women have been accepted as members since 1985. The membership has been a virtual Who's Who of the leading businessmen of New York including many men who went on to illustrious careers in public service. Notably, the list has included Franklin Roosevelt
, two of his Republican contenders for the Presidency Thomas E. Dewey and Wendell Wilkie and William Donovan
, first director of the Office of Strategic Services
which later became the CIA. The members are drawn heavily from the legal and financial professions but as Lower Manhattan becomes more residential many of the more recent members live nearby as well and work in a variety of fields.
accented lobby with a mosaic
tiled floor and fireplace. A cast iron
staircase, unique among New York clubs, rises four floors from the rear of the lobby. A large bar and lounging room, paneled in white oak, is reached a few steps down past the staircase. The principal rooms above the first floor are the previously mentioned Reading Room, the Pine Street Room and larger Wainwright Room, now the Club's ballroom
, on the second floor, the A la Carte Dining Room and the Buffet Room and Babcock Room, named for Samuel D. Babcock, the Club's third president, on the third floor and six private dining rooms and the Game Room on the fourth floor. A fitness facility on the fifth floor was built in the former employees locker room. As originally conceived, and used until the early 1990s, the first floor was for pre-lunch preparation, either at the coat check, the men's or ladies washroom
s, the barber
or at the bar and oyster bar. The Reading Room
was principally used after lunch and was where members could take coffee
, port
, a cigar
, or a nap. All other rooms were for the service of lunch and each had a unique menu. Meals in these rooms were delivered from service pantries and through an extensive system of dumbwaiters from the kitchens which occupied fully half the fifth floor. As the demand for lunch service only transformed into today's full-service, full-day schedule, the kitchen was moved and several of the dining rooms were converted to other uses, principally meetings and banquets and also a new gym. The Game Room, now a members only room, was formerly a private dining room but now contains pocket billiards
tables, games tables, a bar and a large collection of hunting trophies
. The first floor rear is now a large and elegant main bar and gathering area for members.
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Downtown Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Located at 60 Pine Street, is the fifth oldest of all existing New York private clubs, and was the first formed in Lower Manhattan. The organizational meeting, which resulted in the formation of the Association, was held at the Astor House
Astor House
The Astor House was a fine hotel in New York City, that opened in 1836 and soon became the most famous hotel in America.-History:The Astor House was originally built by John Jacob Astor, who assembled the building lots around his former house until he had purchased the full block in the heart of...
on December 23, 1859. The first general meeting of the Association was held on February 14, 1860, and a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
was granted by an act of the legislature
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
of the State of New York on April 17, 1860.
History
The Romanesque RevivalRomanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
Clubhouse, a New York City landmark, was designed by C.C. Haight, a member of the Association, and was opened on May 23, 1887. Land, building and furnishings cost $306,669.25. The Clubhouse is the oldest clubhouse in New York built for and still occupied by its members and is the second such oldest (behind the Hope Club of Providence) in the United States. In 1902 a major renovation converted the original Victorian
Victorian decorative arts
Victorian decorative arts refers to the style of decorative arts during the Victorian era. The Victorian era is known for its eclectic revival and interpretation of historic styles and the introduction of cross-cultural influences from the middle east and Asia in furniture, fittings, and Interior...
interiors to Edwardian and a partial sixth floor containing a laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
and other staff quarters was added to the original five story structure. In 1910, Charles Wetmore of the firm of Warren & Wetmore, a member of the Association, was engaged to plan an addition which was completed on March 16, 1911, at a cost of $175,556.76. The addition, in an exterior style sympathetic to the original, added several private dining rooms as well as the magnificent Jacobean
Jacobean architecture
The Jacobean style is the second phase of Renaissance architecture in England, following the Elizabethan style. It is named after King James I of England, with whose reign it is associated.-Characteristics:...
-style panelled Reading Room on a new mezzanine
Mezzanine (architecture)
In architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
level.
Built and used until 1995 solely as a luncheon club, the DTA is now the only full service social club in Lower Manhattan, with dinner and events on many evenings, a new gym on the top floor and full staffing throughout the day from early breakfast to evening drinks. Membership was originally restricted to men but women have been accepted as members since 1985. The membership has been a virtual Who's Who of the leading businessmen of New York including many men who went on to illustrious careers in public service. Notably, the list has included Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
, two of his Republican contenders for the Presidency Thomas E. Dewey and Wendell Wilkie and William Donovan
William Joseph Donovan
William Joseph Donovan was a United States soldier, lawyer and intelligence officer, best remembered as the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services...
, first director of the Office of Strategic Services
Office of Strategic Services
The Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was a predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency...
which later became the CIA. The members are drawn heavily from the legal and financial professions but as Lower Manhattan becomes more residential many of the more recent members live nearby as well and work in a variety of fields.
Premises
The clubhouse entry on Pine Street gives onto a marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
accented lobby with a mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
tiled floor and fireplace. A cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
staircase, unique among New York clubs, rises four floors from the rear of the lobby. A large bar and lounging room, paneled in white oak, is reached a few steps down past the staircase. The principal rooms above the first floor are the previously mentioned Reading Room, the Pine Street Room and larger Wainwright Room, now the Club's ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
, on the second floor, the A la Carte Dining Room and the Buffet Room and Babcock Room, named for Samuel D. Babcock, the Club's third president, on the third floor and six private dining rooms and the Game Room on the fourth floor. A fitness facility on the fifth floor was built in the former employees locker room. As originally conceived, and used until the early 1990s, the first floor was for pre-lunch preparation, either at the coat check, the men's or ladies washroom
Washroom
A public toilet is a room or small building containing one or more toilets and possibly also urinals which is available for use by the general public, or in a broader meaning of "public", by customers of other...
s, the barber
Barber
A barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
or at the bar and oyster bar. The Reading Room
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
was principally used after lunch and was where members could take coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, port
Port wine
Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...
, a cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
, or a nap. All other rooms were for the service of lunch and each had a unique menu. Meals in these rooms were delivered from service pantries and through an extensive system of dumbwaiters from the kitchens which occupied fully half the fifth floor. As the demand for lunch service only transformed into today's full-service, full-day schedule, the kitchen was moved and several of the dining rooms were converted to other uses, principally meetings and banquets and also a new gym. The Game Room, now a members only room, was formerly a private dining room but now contains pocket billiards
Pocket billiards
Pool, also more formally known as pocket billiards or pool billiards , is the family of cue sports and games played on a pool table having six receptacles called pockets along the , into which balls are deposited as the main goal of play. Popular versions include eight-ball and nine-ball...
tables, games tables, a bar and a large collection of hunting trophies
Trophy hunting
Trophy hunting is the selective hunting of wild game animals. Although parts of the slain animal may be kept as a hunting trophy or memorial , the carcass itself is sometimes used as food....
. The first floor rear is now a large and elegant main bar and gathering area for members.