The Denver Press Club, located at 1330 Glenarm Place,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, is the oldest press club in the United States. Journalists first met in 1867, and the club was incorporated in 1877.

History

Members first met in the basement of

Wolfe Londoner Wolfe Londoner (July 4, 1842 – November 23, 1912) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1889 to 1891. Biography He was born on 4 July 1842 to parents Herman Londoner and Rachel Hearst in New York City, Ne ...

's grocery store on Larimer Street but outgrew the space and met at various hotels in Denver.

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and

William Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pre ...

were the only two presidents to receive an honorary membership in the form of a solid gold-and-silver membership card to the Denver Press Club. During the 1908 National Democratic Convention, the Denver Press Club served as press headquarters and organizers of the convention's social entertainment. In 1925, members decided to have their own building and chose architects Merill H. and

Burnham Hoyt Burnham Hoyt (February 3, 1887 – April 3, 1960) was a prominent mid-20th-century architect born in Denver, Colorado. Early years Born in North Denver, Burnham Hoyt was the son of Lydia Tompkins Hoyt and Wallace Hoyt, a carriage designer who ...

to design the building. The Denver Press Club building was built by Francis Kirchof for approximately $50,000, paid mostly with the sale of Who's Who in the Rockies. In 1945, artist

Herndon Davis Herndon Davis (1901-1962) was an American artist, journalist, illustrator, and painter. He worked at the National War College in Washington, D.C. creating maps of China and Japan. Davis was an illustrator for New York, Washington, D.C. and Denver ...

painted a wall-size mural of Denver journalists in the club's basement poker room. It remains there today. In 1986, the building was designated an Historic Landmark by the Denver Landmark Preservation Commission. The

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, letter ...

deemed it as a "significant historical place in journalism" in 2008. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2017. Today, the club's more than 400 members represent print and broadcast media, advertising and public relations, and an assortment of other professions. The roster has included

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning journalists, cartoonists, and other notables, including

Damon Runyon Alfred Damon Runyon (October 4, 1880 – December 10, 1946) was an American newspaperman and short-story writer. He was best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City that grew out of the Prohibition era. To ...

Eugene Field Eugene Field Sr. (September 2, 1850 – November 4, 1895) was an American writer, best known for his children's poetry and humorous essays. He was known as the "poet of childhood". Early life and education Field was born in St. Louis, Missour ...

Gene Fowler Gene Fowler (born Eugene Devlan) (March 8, 1890 – July 2, 1960) was an American journalist, author, and dramatist. Biography Fowler was born in Denver, Colorado. When his mother remarried during his youth, he took his stepfather's name to be ...

Frederick Gilmer Bonfils Frederick Gilmer Bonfils (December 21, 1860 – February 2, 1933) was an American publisher who made the ''Denver Post'' into one of the largest newspapers in the United States.Staff report (February 3, 1933). F. G. BONFILS DEAD; VETERAN EDITOR; ...

, Palmer Hoyt,

Lowell Thomas Lowell Jackson Thomas (April 6, 1892 – August 29, 1981) was an American writer, actor, broadcaster, and traveler, best remembered for publicising T. E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia). He was also involved in promoting the Cinerama widescreen ...

, Lee Taylor Casey,

Paul Conrad Paul Francis Conrad (June 27, 1924 – September 4, 2010) was an American political cartoonist and winner of three Pulitzer Prizes for Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, editorial cartooning. In the span of a career lasting five decad ...

Pat Oliphant Patrick Bruce "Pat" Oliphant (born 24 July 1935) is an Australian-born American artist whose career spanned more than sixty years. His body of work as a whole focuses mostly on American and global politics, culture, and corruption; he is particu ...

Thomas Hornsby Ferril Thomas Hornsby Ferril (1896–1988) was a poet in the U.S. state of Colorado. A journalist who specialized in corporate public relations, he studied and wrote poetry as an avocation. In his later years of life (1979-1988) he was named poet laure ...

, Carl Akers,

Starr Yelland Starr may refer to: People and fictional characters * Starr (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Starr (given name), a list of people and fictional characters Places United States * Starr, Ohio, an unincorporated comm ...

Stormy Rottman Leon "Stormy" Rottman (1918 - January 15, 1993) was an American weather forecaster and television host. After his experience with reporting weather conditions for the U.S. Air Force during World War II and the Korean War, Rottman began a civilian c ...

Lou Kilzer Lou Kilzer (born 1951) is an investigative journalist and author and a two time Pulitzer Prize Winner. Career Journalism He began work as a journalist in 1973 after graduating '' cum laude'' in philosophy from Yale University, joining the Rock ...

, Greg Lopez, Bob Palmer, Gene Amole, Sam Lusky, Rob Scoggins Jr., and Don Kinney. The Denver Press Club's cornerstone

Award is presented annually to a person or persons whose career has embodied the style and verve of the legendary DPC alumnus.Denver Press Club History
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References

{{Reflist Mass media in Colorado Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado National Register of Historic Places in Denver Buildings and structures in Denver