Metropolitan Club
The Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington
FormationOctober 13, 1863 (1863-10-13)
TypePrivate
53-0109340
Headquarters1700 H Street NW, Washington, D.C.
Location
  • United States
Websitewww.metroclub.com
ArchitectHeins & LaFarge
NRHP reference No.95000441[1]

The Metropolitan Club of the City of Washington is a private club in Washington, D.C. The New York Times called it "Washington's oldest and most exclusive club".[2]

History

On October 1, 1863, six U.S. Treasury Department officials met to discuss the creation of a social and literary club in Washington, D.C.[3] The Metropolitan Club officially organized twelve days later, with 43 members.[3] The first year, dues were $50.[2]


On June 25, 1883, the club acquired a lot on the corner of H Street and 17th Streets for $10.[3] Later In 1883, the club moved into the first purpose-built structure for a club in Washington, D.C.[3] Designed by the architects W. Bruce Gray and Harvey L. Page, the Victorian-style, four-story building was destroyed in a fire in 1904.[3] From 1905 to 1908, the Metropolitan Club met in various rental properties.[3]

Metropolitan Club entrance

The club's current home, designed by the architectural firm of Heins & LaFarge of New York, was built from 1904 to 1908.[4][3] The brick and limestone Renaissance revival building was rebuilt on the 1700 H Street NW lot, two blocks from the White House.[2][3] In 1925, a two-story annex designed by Frederick H. Brooke of Donn and Deming was added.[3]

Inside the five-story building, there is a lobby, coat room, card room, a library with 15,000 books, a grill room, a lounge, a dining room, sleeping quarters, and a barbershop.[3][2] There is also a steam room, an exercise room, and two squash courts.[2] Another room serves as a museum, honoring the governors.[3] Other spaces are for offices, the kitchen, and the wine cellar.[3]

Here, Theodore Roosevelt plotted the Spanish–American War.[2] During the Watergate era, Henry Kissinger would regularly meet there with New York Times journalist James Reston.[5] To ensure confidentiality of such meetings, the club prohibits the use of cell phones or note taking at the tables.[5]

The Metropolitan Club building was listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites since 1964 and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[3][4]

in April 2021, the club opened a new open-air rooftop venue, an $11 million project.[6] The space is used for live music, private functions, and smoking cigars.[6]

Membership

For the first century of its existence, the members of the club refused to accept non-white people as members.[2] Thirty club members quit in protest in 1961, including Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.[2] The club started accepting black members in 1972.[2] Bishop John T. Walker was the first African American member.[2] The club also did not allow women to join until 1988.[7]

In 1983, there was a five-year waiting list for membership.[3]

    Notable members

    References

    1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Gamarekian, Barbara (1983-09-10). "Enduring Bastion of Exclusivity for 'Gentlemen'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
    3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Eve Lydia Barsoum (12 March 1995). Metropolitan Club Historic Landmark Application (PDF) (Report). National Park Service. p. 7. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
    4. 1 2 "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites". DC Preservation. Archived from the original on 2011-07-01. Retrieved 2011-12-19.
    5. 1 2 Mccarthy, Aoife (2007-12-04). "Clubbing with the elite". Politico. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
    6. 1 2 Barks, Joe (2021-12-03). "The Road Ahead: Up on the Roof at The Metropolitan Club of The City of Washington". Club + Resort Business. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
    7. ↑ Pressley, Sue Anne (26 June 1988). "Metropolitan Club Ends Ban on Women Members". Washington Post. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
    8. ↑ "George H. Goodrich Obituary". Legacy.com. The Washington Post. September 25, 2015. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
    9. ↑ "Judge E. B. Parker, Debt Expert, Dies". The Evening Star. 1929-10-30. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-01-13 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
    10. ↑ "Henry White Weds Mrs. Wm. D. Sloane; Ex-Ambassador to France Is 70 and Daughter of Late Wm. H. Vanderbilt Is 68". The New York Times. 4 November 1920. p. 13. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
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