University Cottage Club
Encyclopedia
The University Cottage Club is one of ten current eating clubs at Princeton University
, in Princeton
, New Jersey
, United States
. It is also one of the five bicker
clubs, along with The Ivy Club
, Tiger Inn
, Cap and Gown Club
, and Tower Club.
across from the campus. In their sophomore year, the group moved up Nassau Street to a hotel on the corner of Railroad Avenue (now University Place) known as The University Hotel. In September of their junior year they found a small house immediately south of The University Hotel on Railroad Avenue (where Hamilton Hall now stands) owned by the college and known as The University Cottage. A couple was hired to cook and serve their meals. The group agreed on the name “The University Cottage Club of Princeton” popularly known today as “Cottage.”
In 1890, a lot on Prospect Avenue (upon which today’s clubhouse stands) was purchased and a shingled Victorian clubhouse was built in 1892. The enrollment continued to grow and this structure was moved to Library Place when plans were made for a larger building. The current -story Georgian Revival clubhouse was designed by Charles Follen McKim
of the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White in 1903 and built in 1906.
The library on the second floor is modeled on the fourteenth century library in Merton College, Oxford University. In the Dining Room, one such carving reads “Ubi Amici Ibidem Sunt Opes” (“Where there are friends there are riches”) which has become over the years a motto of the Club.
In 1979, the Cottage Club was one of three all-male eating clubs sued by 1980 Princeton graduate Sally Frank for sex discrimination. Ms. Frank prevailed in 1985. Following the suit, the Club voted to admit women in early 1986. Cottage has historically been numbered among the "Big Four" eating clubs of Princeton University (the others are Ivy, Cap & Gown, and Tiger Inn).
Recent renovations have kept the club in first-class condition while preserving its historic beauty. Many young literary enthusiasts like to visit the library where F. Scott Fitzgerald
began his novel This Side of Paradise
.
On September 14, 1999, the Club was entered onto the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. On November 15, 1999, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
based on the architectural structure of the building, high degree of historic integrity, and significant cultural contributions to the community.
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, in Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is also one of the five bicker
Bicker
Bicker may refer to*Bicker, Lincolnshire*Bicker, a practice in the eating clubs at Princeton University and Mount Olive College*Bicker , a Dutch Golden Age family, headed by Andries Bicker...
clubs, along with The Ivy Club
The Ivy Club
The Ivy Club is the oldest eating club at Princeton University. It was founded in 1879 with Arthur Hawley Scribner as its first head. The members of each class are selected through the bicker process, a series of ten screening interviews, which are followed by discussions amongst the members as...
, Tiger Inn
Tiger Inn
The Tiger Inn is one of the ten active eating clubs at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Tiger Inn was founded in 1890 and is one of the "Big Four" eating clubs at Princeton .. Tiger Inn is the third oldest Eating Club...
, Cap and Gown Club
Cap and Gown Club
Cap and Gown Club, founded in 1890, is an eating club at Princeton University, in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Colloquially known as "Cap", the club is one of the "Big Four" eating clubs at Princeton . Members are selected through a selective process called bicker...
, and Tower Club.
History
In 1884, a group of freshmen, members of the Class of 1888, chose to eat in a private room on the second floor of Dohm’s Restaurant on Nassau StreetNassau Street (Princeton)
Nassau Street is the main downtown thoroughfare of Princeton, New Jersey. As such, of all the streets in Princeton, Nassau Street is the one most often full of automobile and pedestrian traffic. It is the southernmost portion of Route 27 and ends at U.S. Route 206. The main gates of Princeton...
across from the campus. In their sophomore year, the group moved up Nassau Street to a hotel on the corner of Railroad Avenue (now University Place) known as The University Hotel. In September of their junior year they found a small house immediately south of The University Hotel on Railroad Avenue (where Hamilton Hall now stands) owned by the college and known as The University Cottage. A couple was hired to cook and serve their meals. The group agreed on the name “The University Cottage Club of Princeton” popularly known today as “Cottage.”
In 1890, a lot on Prospect Avenue (upon which today’s clubhouse stands) was purchased and a shingled Victorian clubhouse was built in 1892. The enrollment continued to grow and this structure was moved to Library Place when plans were made for a larger building. The current -story Georgian Revival clubhouse was designed by Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim
Charles Follen McKim FAIA was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century. Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead, and White....
of the New York architectural firm McKim, Mead and White in 1903 and built in 1906.
The library on the second floor is modeled on the fourteenth century library in Merton College, Oxford University. In the Dining Room, one such carving reads “Ubi Amici Ibidem Sunt Opes” (“Where there are friends there are riches”) which has become over the years a motto of the Club.
In 1979, the Cottage Club was one of three all-male eating clubs sued by 1980 Princeton graduate Sally Frank for sex discrimination. Ms. Frank prevailed in 1985. Following the suit, the Club voted to admit women in early 1986. Cottage has historically been numbered among the "Big Four" eating clubs of Princeton University (the others are Ivy, Cap & Gown, and Tiger Inn).
Recent renovations have kept the club in first-class condition while preserving its historic beauty. Many young literary enthusiasts like to visit the library where F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
began his novel This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise is the debut novel of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, and taking its title from a line of the Rupert Brooke poem Tiare Tahiti, the book examines the lives and morality of post-World War I youth. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive Princeton University...
.
On September 14, 1999, the Club was entered onto the New Jersey Register of Historic Places. On November 15, 1999, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
based on the architectural structure of the building, high degree of historic integrity, and significant cultural contributions to the community.