Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History
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Clubs have existed almost as long as civilization. People have always loved to get together to share common interests, network and get ahead in society, come together for a cause, or just get away from the rigors of life and relax with those who are doing the same thing.

Nineteenth century Brooklyn was no different time, and Brooklyn’s men (because let’s face it, most of these places were for men) were no different men. Now, depending on who you were, what your interests were, and how much money you had, there were all kinds of options.

If you take a look at the yearly Almanacs that the Brooklyn Eagle published most years in the latter part of the 19th century, you’ll find pages upon pages of lists with all kinds of organizations and clubs. There were religious organizations and clubs, for every denomination, every faith, every racial and ethnic group, for men and women, both separately and together.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History

There were fraternal organizations ranging from various Masonic traditions to groups like the Ancient Order of Foresters, the Royal Arcanum, and the Shriners. Brooklyn had occupational clubs, and clubs for charitable causes.

There were athletic clubs, art societies, theater and music clubs, Temperance clubs, political clubs, and clubs like the Poached Egg Club, that just wanted to party and have fun. The clubs founded around causes were usually both men and women, political clubs were often, but not always, for men, and then there were the exclusive clubs for the wealthy and well connected.

A History of Brooklyn, published by the Brooklyn Eagle in 1893 comments that the clubs in Brooklyn were very different from the clubs in Manhattan.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History
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Club life here is different from that of New York, just as Brooklyn is different from her sister city in almost every respect; there it is an end, while here it is an adjunct to the domestic life.

In New York a club man, in the distinctive sense of the term, is usually a bachelor to whom the club practically means home; if he be not a bachelor, the bachelor instincts are predominant in him and the home instincts of decidedly lesser significance. The great number of Brooklyn’s club men are of an entirely different stamp.

They may have the club instinct, but the home instinct is so much greater that it invades and permeates the club atmosphere. Naturally there are exceptions to this rule. For instance, the Brooklyn and Excelsior clubs are essentially bachelor clubs and approach, more nearly than any others in the city, the New York idea.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History
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In these two there are undoubtedly more men who look upon them as the chief social factors of. their existence than can be found elsewhere. Of the two the Excelsior probably comes nearer to the general idea of what a man’s club should be.

But generally speaking there is a growing tendency among the Brooklyn clubs to encourage the participation of women in their affairs. Scarcely a club now closes its doors to members of the gentler sex and almost every one has found it of advantage to admit them to certain privileges.

Some of these clubhouses for the rich and connected still remain today, although almost all of them are now used for other purposes that originally intended. We all know about the Montauk Club in Park Slope, and perhaps the Union League Club in Crown Heights, or the Lincoln Club in Clinton Hill.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History
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We are fortunate that these buildings, which were built by prominent architects, and for a monied clientele, are still here. There are many others that are gone, leaving nothing but names in the paper, and sepia photographs showing where they once stood.

The Hamilton Club may be Brooklyn’s oldest club, founded in 1830. by the young men of the village of Brooklyn. They named themselves after Alexander Hamilton, who was seen as a role model of the modern man of the day.

The club eventually was located in their headquarters on the corner of Remsen and Clinton Streets, in the Heights. By the 1890’s, it was populated by some of the wealthiest and most influential businessmen in Brooklyn, including Josiah Low, pharmaceutical giant George M. Olcott, spice and grocery magnate Eugene Durkee, and Herman Behr. Their large and impressive clubhouse is long gone from this corner.

Brooklyn Club -- Brooklyn History

The Brooklyn Club was started in 1865 by Dr. A Cook Hull and other prominent doctors and friends who wanted a place to hang out. They bought an old girl’s school on the corner of Pierrepont and Clinton, and soon expanded next door.

The club grew, and became a posh retreat, limited to 300 members, all wealthy enough to enable them to invite minor European royalty to visit, as well as prominent military men and other important dignitaries. Today, this building too, is gone.

The Hanover Club, once at Bedford and Rodney St, in Williamburg, was founded in 1890. It was housed in what was the Hawley mansion, and in 1891, the building was enlarged and redesigned for club needs by architect Peter J. Lauritzen, architect of the Union League Club on Dean and Bedford, in the St. Marks District, now Crown Heights.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History

The club opened in 1891 with a full contingent of over four hundred members, most of them from the Eastern District, consisting of Williamsburg, and parts of Bushwick, Bedford and Greenpoint. They included many of the area’s successful German merchants and businessmen, as well as many other non-German merchants, doctors, lawyers and other prominent citizens.

Their first president was William Cullen Bryant. Their first event was a fabulous ball and party for their ladies. The club boasted bowling alleys, and a year after opening, a separate ladies’ cafe and parlour. The ladies also had their own bowling night at the club. Today, the club house is a yeshiva.

The Oxford Club House was considered one of the most conservative of Brooklyn’s many clubs. It was located at the corner of South Oxford and Lafayette Ave, in Fort Greene, where the Griffin Apartments are now.

Brooklyn Clubs -- Brooklyn History
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The clubhouse was built in 1880, and it’s membership of over three hundred men had a strong interest in art and the letters, and amassed an impressive collection of art works, and their clubhouse also had a large library. Their membership included ex- military men, lawyers and stockbrokers, as well as successful merchants and businessmen.

Lastly, we have the Carleton Club, once located at the corner of St. Marks and 6th Ave. (Interestingly enough, all of these clubs are located on corner lots.)

It was founded in 1881, and expanded their headquarters at this same location in 1889, building a new building to replace the old. They, too, were made up of the usual cadre of local businessmen, attorneys, sons of prominent clergy, and doctors. The building is now condos.

This is only the drop in the bucket in the list of prominent clubs. There were many, many more, including the Laurence Club, which was predominantly Jewish, and included merchants like Abraham Abraham. Their clubhouse stood at Myrtle and Waverly, in Clinton Hill.

The Constitution Club was a quasi-political club with a large Irish membership, located on Lawrence Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Then you have…….well, I could go on and on, and will revisit this topic again. See Flickr for more photographs.

[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. I’d love to see interior shots. I’ve been curious about how these clubs were used. Did men stop in after work to say high to their friends or were they hanging out for most of the night? Were they sort of how we think of bars or pubs these days?