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City Club of New York records

Call Number

MS 116

Date

1892-1978, inclusive

Creator

City Club of New York

Extent

23.67 Linear feet in 70 volumes, 11 record cartons, and 1 flat box

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

This collection documents the work of City Club of New York from 1892 to 1978. City Club of New York was a social and civic organization that worked towards legislative reform, city development and preservation, and welfare related issues including public health and education. Much of the collection is minutes and correspondence for the Club, Board of Trustees, and the club's committees, as well as materials related to the Club House up through 1943. These records include petitions, reports, bulletins, financials, membership materials, and proposed policy and legislative proposals of City Club and its various committees. The materials document the internal work of the club and its external publications, press releases, and dealings with various government and civic leaders.

Administrative History

The City Club of New York was founded in 1892 as a gentlemen's social and civic club in Manhattan with the purpose of "providing through the facilities of a social club, means of intercourse and co-operation among citizens, officials and organizations interested in the city's welfare." For 50 years they maintained a Club House for members at 55 West 44th Street that included a library, dining room and bar, office space and rooms rented to members and other organizations. At its peak around the 1920s, the club had over 1000 members.

City Club's civic work was for nonpartisan reform of New York government, both at the state and city level. Through the creation of over 70 committees and sub-committees, they lobbied for parks, playgrounds, improved housing conditions, hospitals and healthcare, education reform, and renovations of streets, transit, and the ports of New York. They also pushed for reform of various agencies including the New York Police Department, the courts, and the Parks Department. Their numerous publications, pamphlets, and circulating bulletins detail not just the work of the committees, but City Club's opinion on countless civic and legislative matters.

City Club lobbied in favor of the protection and preservation of historic buildings and parks throughout the city including the Old Assay building façade, Castle Clinton, Central Park, and Washington Square Park. Their position on various redesigns, rezoning, and renovations placed them continuously in contact with Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, most notably in opposition to his proposal to redesign Washington Square Park. While they became well known for opposing many of Moses's plans, they worked in favor of many others and honored Moses numerous times. They allied themselves with several other civic groups including Women's City Club of New York, the National Municipal League, and Citizens' Union.

In the 1940s City Club's purpose and plans shifted after the foreclosure of the Club House and subsequent move to the Hotel Russel in 1943. The social club with a civic purpose pushed forward a primarily civic agenda up until the 1950s when declining membership prompted a discussion of the dissolution of the Club. Dissolution was deemed not an option by younger members and in 1951 City Club underwent reorganization. The influx of younger members and increased membership to the Board and Committees solidified City Club's place as a civic organization.

In 1954 City Club gave up its offices at Hotel Russel and moved into the office of a member of the Board of Trustees. The move to an office space without a dining room or other social areas permanently solidified City Club's place as a solely civic organization. In 1959 City Club Comments, a newsletter edited by I. D. Robbins, began, and was circulated to both members and non-members. The Comments replaced the solely informative City Club Bulletin with political and social commentary written by and for readers of the newsletter. The organization remained a men's club until 1973 when the first female members joined.

City Club suspended its activities in 2003 due to funding, and in 2009 dissolved but retained their corporate charter. In 2013 it resumed its work under the guidance of Michael Gruen, the new president, with a renewed focus on urban development and preservation in New York City.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in four series.

Series I. Bound Minutes Books, 1892-1894,1904-1943
Series II. Records and Correspondence Files, 1890-1957
Subseries II.A. Trustee and Executive Committee Files, 1930-1953
Subseries II.B. General Correspondence, 1945-1952
Subseries II.C. Committees, 1937-1954
Subseries II.D. Events, 1941-1952
Subseries II.E. Club History, 1890-1951
Subseries II.F. Bulletins, 1938-1953
Subseries II.G. Miscellaneous, 1943-1957
Series III. Scrapbooks, 1911-1953
Series IV. Publications, 1892-1950,1959-1978

Scope and Contents

The City Club of New York records detail the Club's history and civic work from 1892 through to 1978. Most of the materials are from 1900 to 1957, and consist of minutes and materials from the club and its various committees including published and internal reports, legislation, correspondence, membership rosters, news clippings, and their bulletins. The materials consist of bound minute books and publications, files of correspondence, minutes, and other records, booklets, pamphlets, newsletters, ephemera, and four scrapbooks.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Use Restrictions

This collection is owned by the New-York Historical Society. The copyright law of the United States governs the making of photocopies and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials. Unpublished materials created before January 1, 1978 cannot be quoted in publication without permission of the copyright holder. Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to 20 exposures of stable, unbound material per day.

Preferred Citation

The collection should be cited as: City Club of New York records, MS116, New-York Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Permanent deposit by City Club of New York, 1954. Later accruals in 1959 and approximately 1978.

Related Materials

At the New-York Historical Society:
New-York Historical also holds on the shelf many of the reports, periodicals, and constitutions of City Club, including a newsletter, The City Club Gadfly. These can be found by searching "City Club" in Bobcat.

At the New York Public Library:
City Club of New York records, 1896-2008 are located at the New York Public Library and include minutes, reports, and materials from 1960 onwards.

At Hunter College Libraries:
Women's City Club of New York, Inc. (Records of), 1955-2011 are located at Hunter College Libraries and include annual reports, minutes, committee reports, scrapbooks, and publications.

Collection processed by

Catherine Sheehan

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:28 -0400.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information

Processed by archival intern Cathy Sheehan in June 2019.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024