DARTMOUTH HAS A HOME IN NEW YORK

September 1st looms as a large day for Dartmouth alumni in New York. At that time the new Dartmouth Club at 24 East 38th Street, opens its doors and takes its place as the first permanent clubhouse for Dartmouth men in the world.

The history of the Dartmouth Club goes back several years to a dinner in New York when Malcolm Stearns 'OB, Clark Tobin '10, Bill Knibbs '04, and Stanley Besse 'OS decided it was high time that Dartmouth men in the metropolitan district had a more permanent organization than was afforded by the annual alumni dinner. The general opinion was that a Dartmouth club, should be possible, and in February, 1922 another meeting was held in the Lafayette Hotel, at which representatives from all classes since 1900 were present. Mike Stearns, having originated the idea was naturally made the chairman of the committee thus formed.

To show the doubting Thomases, for there were a few, of course, that the idea was not all talk, some $6OO was collected at the meeting to cover the sundry expenses of organization. Bill Towler 'l3, then of New York but now of Chicago, was appointed to make a survey of the other university and college clubs to see how they operated, how successful they were, and if the conditions which they had to meet were comparable to ours.

In the opinion of the committee the time was hardly ripe for any definite steps to be taken, but it was decided to go ahead with tentative plans for action as soon as it was warranted by the ever-increasing number of Dartmouth men in New York.

At the alumni dinner in February, 1922, the temporary committee, which consisted of Stearns 'OB, chairman, Lenfestey 'l3, treasurer, Towler 'l3, secretary, with Leggett '9B, Hubbard 'O2, Lewers 'O3, Streeter 'O4, Besse 05, Tobin 10, Sterling 'll, O'Connor 'l2, and Thielscher 'l7, reported that in their opinion the time had come for more active work, and they asked the definite support of the alumni. Pledges were circulated and about $9OOO was subscribed, to be used as the committee saw fit.

Up to the fall of 1924, the New York Alumni Association had taken no official notice of the club movement, but at that time they took over from the committee full responsibility, and the further developments leading up to the actual leasing, reconstruction, and occupation of the clubhouse have been in the hands of the officers of the Association plus the majority of the original committee.

The objects which the founders of the club had in mind were to provide a meeting place in New York available to all Dartmouth men, whether residents of New York or transients in the city, and to facilitate the handling of all business pertaining to the College originating in or affecting the alumni in this vicinity. While the Dartmouth Club and the New York Alumni Association are two distinct bodies, yet it is obvious that they have a very close common interest, and it is likely that they will tend to merge though membership in one is not obligatory for membership in the other. The clubhouse will provide a permanent office for the storing of all records dealing with local alumni, and should greatly aid the officers of the Alumni Association in their work.

In every way the club house is admirably suited to cover the desires of the club members. The location, just off Madison Avenue at 38th Street is convenient to all transportation, whether by train, bus, subway or elevated, and is but a block off Fifth Avenue. It is only a few minutes from the principal hotels and theatres, and numerous college fraternity clubs surround us. The Grand Central zone is perhaps the most rapidly developing section of New York, and our location in the heart of it is particularly fortunate.

Not only is the general situation of the club house advantageous, but the fact that we are next door to the Fraternity Clubs' Building is particularly so. This building is owned and operated by the Allerton Company, operators of a string of bachelor hotels, and is leased by them to various fraternities for club purposes. The Cornell Club occupies two floors of the building.

Our building when leased, consisted of a large five-story and basement house. When repairs are completed, the entire front of the house will have been remodeled to match the Fraternity Clubs' Building, so that the present appearance, redolent of the "mauve decade" or worse, will be entirely changed for the better.

The entrance to the club, shown in the illustration will be at the basement level. Here at the left is a ladies' reception room. Back of this on the left are the coat room, elevator and stairs, with the office opposite. The entire rear of this floor is the dining room. Mention of the dining room brings up one of the most interesting points of the situation. The Dartmouth Club is not incurring the expense or gamble of operating its own dining room service. A door, cut through to the next building, opens into the Fraternity Clubs' kitchens, and all meals will be served from there. Club members are assured of palatable food, well served, and moderately priced.

The next floor is occupied, across the entire front, by the living room, with its fireplace, comfortable furniture and Hanoverian atmosphere. Naturally, this room is the real heart of the club and no pains have been spared to make it an outstanding room. In the rear are the library, and card rooms. The third floor has a billiard room in front, additional game rooms, and bed rooms in the rear. The upper floors are entirely bed rooms, with ample bath facilities.

Sleeping quarters for at least 28 men are provided and a typical bed room is illustrated. A proportion of the rooms are reserved for nonresident members, which are expected, in line with the experience of other college clubs, to be greatly in demand. While the rates of these rooms had not been definitely decided upon when this article was written, still they will be well under those charged by hotels for similar accommodations, in addition to which the advantages of the club and the certainty of finding kindred spirits will appeal to those men who come to New York occasionally or frequently. Maid and elevator service is provided by the operating company.

In addition to supplying the service personnel for the club, the Fraternity Clubs' Building also provides room for overflow meetings, such as will undoubtedly occur during the fall when football returns are given, for class dinners or other meetings which will attract large numbers of alumni. The gymnasium, squash courts, barber shop, haberdashery, and other extra facilities offered by the Fraternity Clubs' Building are open to members of the Dartmouth Club.

A ten-year lease assures the club of ample time in which to prove its value, and while every member is well satisfied with the present situation, it is natural to suppose, with the number of Dartmouth alumni in New York increasing by over 100 each year, that by 1936 when the total should be more than 2,600, the club house will prove too small.

The temporary o.fficers and directors of the club who brought to a head this concrete example of Dartmouth's growth in New York are C. K. Woodbridge, president; D. Basil O'Connor 'l2, vice-president; Nathan C. Lenfesty 'l3, treasurer; Warren F. Kimball 'll, secretary; Luther B. Little 'B2, William N. Cohen '79, Edward K. Hall '92, Carl M. Owen 'Ol, Malcolm Stearns 'OB, John W. Hubbell '2l, Charles E. Griffith, Jr. 'IS, Ernest H. Earley 'lB, and Harry R. Heneage 'O7. The bond issue of $30,000 which was over-subscribed on the first notice was handled by William J. Minsch 'O7. A special committee consisting of C. G. Dußois, '9l, John F. Sanderson, 'O4, and Fred W. Wentworth, 'B7 gave valuable assistance in working out the problems of location and design of the club. The legal work in connection with the club was done by' George H. Howard, 'O7 and D. Basil O'Connor, 'l2. The present membership committee is headed by R. W. DeVoe, 'l6, with John M. Palmer, 'l4 in charge of publicity.

Entrance fees and dues have been laid out with consideration for the men more recently graduated. Members of this year's graduating class, for example, need pay only $l5 entrance fee. They, together with graduates of one year's standing, pay annual dues of $lO. Men more than one year out of college pay $25 entrance fee, and dues ranging from $lO to $4O per year. These fees are not in excess of those charged in similar clubs, and are as a matter of fact, less than in most. Non-resident members pay no entrance fee and annual dues of only $lO, regardless of when they were graduated. While possibly a description of the club in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE is hardly a fit place for proselyting, still applications for non-resident membership are sought, not alone because the Directors feel that the club offers a very tangible value to all Dartmouth men, but because they know that after all the club gains its value from its members.

The Entrance to the Club House