Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club
Encyclopedia
The Soldiers’, Sailors’, Marines’, Coast Guard and Airmen’s Club is a private social club
founded in 1919 and located at 283 Lexington Avenue in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan
. It is the only private organization in the New York area accommodating U.S. servicemen and servicewomen at subsidized rates. It also caters to military retirees and veterans and their families.
, along with General John J. Pershing
, founded The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club to accommodate servicemen returning from overseas duty in World War I
. The Club originally served only active duty enlisted male soldiers and sailors, but it now serves all ranks (officers and enlisted) and services, active and retired, of the United States and its allies. With no U.S. government funding, supported solely by guest proceeds and the donations of private citizens, it has accommodated over 2,500,000 men and women of the US military and their families.
Currently, about 15,000 such personnel patronize the facility annually. In recent years the SSMA Club has tended to incur an annual deficit of around $350,000.
s on Lexington Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets. These were built in the 1880s as homes for the upper middle class of that period. It is a 79-bed facility that includes a library with two Internet stations, several large event rooms, a television room and a dining room.
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...
founded in 1919 and located at 283 Lexington Avenue in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...
. It is the only private organization in the New York area accommodating U.S. servicemen and servicewomen at subsidized rates. It also caters to military retirees and veterans and their families.
Mission
To promote the general welfare of men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States and its Allies, and their families, by maintaining and offering club and lodging rooms.
History
In 1919, Cornelia Barnes Rogers and Eleanor Butler Alexander-Roosevelt, wife of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.
Theodore D. Roosevelt, Jr. , was an American political and business leader, a Medal of Honor recipient who fought in both of the 20th century's world wars. He was the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt from his second wife Edith Roosevelt...
, along with General John J. Pershing
John J. Pershing
John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, GCB , was a general officer in the United States Army who led the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I...
, founded The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Club to accommodate servicemen returning from overseas duty in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The Club originally served only active duty enlisted male soldiers and sailors, but it now serves all ranks (officers and enlisted) and services, active and retired, of the United States and its allies. With no U.S. government funding, supported solely by guest proceeds and the donations of private citizens, it has accommodated over 2,500,000 men and women of the US military and their families.
Currently, about 15,000 such personnel patronize the facility annually. In recent years the SSMA Club has tended to incur an annual deficit of around $350,000.
Facility
Since the early 1920s, the SSMA Club has occupied two adjacent 19th century townhouseTownhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
s on Lexington Avenue between 36th and 37th Streets. These were built in the 1880s as homes for the upper middle class of that period. It is a 79-bed facility that includes a library with two Internet stations, several large event rooms, a television room and a dining room.