Penn Club of New York City


The Penn Club of New York is an American private, social club located in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Its membership is restricted almost entirely to students, alumni, and faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, with reciprocal membership to select institutions.
Its 14-story clubhouse was originally occupied by the Yale Club of New York City, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. For numerous consecutive terms, The Penn Club was awarded the honor as a Platinum Club of America, placing it in the top 3% among 6,000 clubs in the U.S. for perceived excellence, and ranked #14 best city club in the U.S., and #2 city club in New York City.

History

In November 1886, the first local group of University of Pennsylvania alumni outside of Philadelphia was formed in New York at a dinner at Delmonico's Restaurant. At the alumni group's annual banquet at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in January 1900, they presented a plan to secure "a convenient suite of rooms in the middle of the city, adjacent to a cafe."

Royalton Hotel location

On October 6, 1900, the University of Pennsylvania's Club of New York opened in four ground-floor rooms in the Royalton Hotel, just west of today's clubhouse. The Penn Club soon had more than 150 members at a time when only 400 alumni lived in the New York area, and received its charter from the New York Legislature in 1901.

Hotel Stanley

In 1905, the Club moved to "new and commodious quarters" in the Hotel Stanley at 124 West 47th Street, where it remained until 1910. Between 1911 and 1922, however, the Club did away with a clubhouse, instead focusing on their annual banquet.

Townhouses

In 1922, after a three-year search, the Club's directors leased two townhouses on East 50th Street, next to what today is the New York Palace Hotel. Throughout the 1920s, the Penn Club on East 50th Street was active and successful. Its dining and guest rooms were regularly filled and its dinners and programs were highly attended. The Great Depression, though, quickly hit the Club hard, and it vacated its townhouses in 1935.

Cornell Club, Phi Gamma Delta Club, and Biltmore Hotel

Thereafter, it shared space in the Cornell Club on East 38th Street, moved to two other clubs, and finally settled in the Phi Gamma Delta Club on West 56th Street, where it remained until 1961, when it moved to the Biltmore Hotel. The Club stayed in the Biltmore Hotel until the hotel was gutted and made an office tower in 1981 by Paul Milstein.

Former Yale Club HQ

After two years of construction on the 14-story building, the Penn Club moved to its current location on West 44th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. Originally occupied by the Yale Club of New York City, the building is registered on the National Register of Historic Places.

Membership

Membership in the Penn Club is restricted to alumni, faculty, full-time staff, and students over the age of 21 of the University of Pennsylvania, as well as alumni of a shortlist of affiliated schools, including Columbia University, MIT, University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, Vanderbilt University, Trinity College, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Vassar College, Franklin & Marshall College, Gettysburg College, University of Vermont, Swarthmore College, Washington College, University of Richmond, University of Edinburgh, and University of St Andrews, University of Texas, Brandeis University, and Baruch College. The Club offers legacy memberships to spouses, parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and siblings of University of Pennsylvania-affiliated members.
The Penn Club has more than 5,000 members around the world. The Penn Club is controlled by its members and managed by third parties, although the University of Pennsylvania owns the clubhouse building and leases it to the Club, a 5017 not-for-profit entity.

Amenties

All members enjoy full use of the clubhouse facilities and its services, except for the gym for which the Club outsources the operations and charges additional fees for non-hotel guests.
The 14-story club includes two restaurants and bars: the double-story, Main Dining Room, which requires a jacket for men and can also be rented for events on weekends, and the Grill Room, which has a sushi chef. Its Benjamin Franklin Living Room features a fireplace, the 24/7 Club Library allows members to check out books,, and the business center has workspaces and conference rooms. In addition to five floors of 39 guestrooms, its Palestra Fitness Center features state-of-the-art equipment, a spa and massages, personal training coaches, and 13th floor terrace.
Members may also use the squash courts at the Yale Club of New York City and have access to more than 150 reciprocal private clubs worldwide, including yacht clubs, country clubs, and golf clubs.

Social networking

The club hosts annual events including an inter-club New Year's Eve celebration, members-only celebrations on all major holidays, and regular social networking events on cultural, intellectual, professional, and personal subjects.
Membership also includes access to a members-only Penn Club website and app, and "Societies" or committees to help members network.