The National Club
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The National Club is a
private members' club Private members' clubs are organisations which provide social and other facilities to members who typically pay a membership fee for access and use. Some were originally elitist gentlemen's clubs to which members first had to be elected; others ...
founded in 1874 for business professionals located in the
Financial District A financial district is usually a central area in a city where financial services firms such as banks, insurance companies and other related finance corporations have their head offices. In major cities, financial districts are often home to s ...
of
Downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Stre ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. It provides private dining and meeting facilities, as well as accommodations to its members and guests.


History

The National Club was founded by Ontario
Letters Patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...
on July 6, 1874. There were 24 members in the original roster. The National Club was created to provide a home and Toronto focus for
Canada First The Canada First movement was a Canadian nationalist movement organized in 1868 that promoted the British Protestant component as central to Canadian identity. It was at first supported by Goldwin Smith and Edward Blake. Ontario residents, George ...
, a nationalist movement founded in 1868 by George Denison, Henry Morgan,
Charles Mair Charles Mair (September 21, 1838 – July 7, 1927) was a Canadian poet and journalist. He was a fervent Canadian nationalist noted for his participation in the Canada First movement and his opposition to Louis Riel during the two Riel Rebell ...
, William Foster and Robert Grant Haliburton. Canada First sought to “promote a sense of national purpose and to lay the intellectual foundations for Canadian nationality.” On March 30, 1875, the National Club moved into rented premises on the west side of Bay Street, immediately south of the building that housed the original
Toronto Stock Exchange The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX; french: Bourse de Toronto) is a stock exchange located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the 10th largest exchange in the world and the third largest in North America based on market capitalization. Based in t ...
. The Club's first president was Dr.
Goldwin Smith Goldwin Smith (13 August 1823 – 7 June 1910) was a British historian and journalist, active in the United Kingdom and Canada. In the 1860s he also taught at Cornell University in the United States. Life and career Early life and education S ...
, a prominent historian and journalist, and a supporter of the Canada First movement. His First Vice President was
William Pearce Howland Sir William Pearce Howland, (29 May 1811 – 1 January 1907) served as the second Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, from 1868 to 1873. He was one of the Fathers of Confederation. Biography Born in 1811 in Pawling, New York, William Howland wa ...
, the second Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Other founders included the Hon.
Edward Blake Dominick Edward Blake (October 13, 1833 – March 1, 1912), known as Edward Blake, was the second premier of Ontario, from 1871 to 1872 and leader of the Liberal Party of Canada from 1880 to 1887. He is one of only three federal permanent Li ...
, Ontario's first premier, and
Sir Oliver Mowat Sir Oliver Mowat (July 22, 1820 – April 19, 1903) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and Ontario Liberal Party leader. He served for nearly 24 years as the third premier of Ontario. He was the eighth lieutenant governor of Ontario and one of ...
, Ontario's second premier. By the 1880s, the Canada First movement virtually disappeared, and the National Club had established itself as a general business and social club for Toronto's business and political leaders of all affiliations. In 1903, $50,000 of a total estimated construction cost of $90,000 was raised by subscription among National Club members to purchase a lot and build a new clubhouse at 303 Bay Street. On September 12, 1906, the cornerstone was laid and on December 17, 1907, the National Club's new premises opened."The National Century", p. 31 The following day, '' The Globe'' newspaper described the new premises designed by noted Toronto architect S. George Curry as “Architecturally... a triumph.” The building is protected under Part IV of the ''
Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...
'' since March 17, 1976, and also enjoys a heritage easement agreement since July 16, 1984. It was designed by S.G. Curry, of the Sproatt & Rolph architectural firm. The firm of Sproatt & Rolph was responsible for designing a number of other Toronto landmarks, including
Hart House (University of Toronto) Hart House is a student activity centre at the University of Toronto. Established in 1919, it is one of the earliest North American student centres, being the location of student debates and conferences since its construction. Hart House was in ...
, the Canada Life Building, the
Fairmont Royal York The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in ...
Hotel, Bishop Strachan School, Eaton's College Street store, and the Canada Permanent Trust building across the street from the National Club. The National Club is one of the few remaining intact buildings on Bay Street from this period.


Today

The National Club maintains its historic clubhouse at 303 Bay Street, composed of three large principal dining rooms, eleven private meeting rooms and three lounges. A new rooftop patio and enclosure was opened in early 2014. A major renovation was undertaken in 2017-18 that created a new bistro-style wine bar and open kitchen dining facility on the front of the 4th floor of the Club called the "1874 Bar & Grill". The National Club has six rooms of hotel-style accommodations for visiting members and guests. The red brick, four-storey Georgian building has undergone several periods of extensive internal renovation in its history to maintain both the cosmetic and mechanical aspects of the facilities. In 2014 the National Club received the "Club of the Year Award" from the Canadian Society of Club Managers. The National Club has a significant collection of Canadian art and a wine cellar with approximately 40,000 bottles. Stained glass windows in the Main Dining Room depicting the arms of Canada and the provinces were created by the Toronto company of Pringle & London, which worked with Tiffany & Co. and also installed many of the Toronto church and cathedral stained glass windows in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The National Club is connected to the Toronto
PATH A path is a route for physical travel – see Trail. Path or PATH may also refer to: Physical paths of different types * Bicycle path * Bridle path, used by people on horseback * Course (navigation), the intended path of a vehicle * Desire p ...
system of concourses and tunnels through an unmarked door leading to the lower level of the
Scotia Plaza Scotia Plaza is a commercial skyscraper in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is in the financial district of the downtown core bordered by Yonge Street on the east, King Street West on the south, Bay Street on the west, and Adelaide Stree ...
. The National Club is affiliated with approximately 250 other private clubs in Canada and around the world, providing its members with reciprocal dining and accommodation privileges.


Membership

Members must be men or women over the age of 21 years and be of good character, and be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors. The National Club has approximately 500 resident members, in addition to members in senior, overseas and other categories. The National Club was one of the earliest Toronto private city clubs to extend full membership to women in 1992. The membership of the former Ontario Club joined the National Club in 2010 after the lease expired on its own clubhouse in
Commerce Court Commerce Court is an office building complex on King and Bay Streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The four-building complex is a mix of Art Deco, International, and early Modernism architectural styles. The office comp ...
.


Prominent members

The National Club has had on its roster a number of noted Canadians, including many national and provincial politicians. Sir
Wilfrid Laurier Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
was an early member and sat for a portrait after opening the current clubhouse in 1907. Others include: * The Hon. Lincoln M. Alexander, 26th lt. Gov. Ontario *
Joseph E. Atkinson Joseph E. Atkinson (born Joseph Atkinson, December 23, 1865 – May 8, 1948) was a Canadian newspaper editor and activist. Under his leadership the ''Toronto Star'' became one of the largest and most influential newspapers in Canada. Atkinso ...
, founder of the ''Toronto Star'' newspaper * Wilfrid Dinnick, developer of Toronto's Lawrence Park Estates *
Timothy Eaton Timothy Eaton (March 1834 – 31 January 1907) was an Irish businessman who founded the Eaton's department store, one of the most important retail businesses in Canada's history. Early life and family He was born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Hi ...
, founder of Eaton's department stores * Gerhardt Heintzman, founder of Heintzman Pianos * Sidney Hermant, President of Imperial Optical * JP Hynes, renowned Canadian architect responsible for the design of the Hotel Victoria (originally Hotel Mossop) * Edward J. Lennox, noted architect responsible for the design of Old City Hall, Casa Loma and King Edward Hotel * John Northway, founder of Northway Department Stores * Henry Patten, General Manager, Toronto Transportation Commission * Robert Simpson, founder of Simpson's department stores *
Fred Smye Frederick Thomas Smye (August 6, 1916 – 1985) was a Canadian businessman. He was the president of Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada). He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the son of Frederick Thomas Smye and Maude Givern, and was educated at Trinit ...
, President of Avro Aircraft Limited (Canada)


Grant of arms

In 1996, the National Club was granted its own arms and flag by the
Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; french: Autorité héraldique du Canada) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for th ...
.


Presidents


See also

*
List of gentlemen's clubs in Canada The following list is of gentlemen's clubs that operated in Canada. A gentlemen's club is a private social club that serves as places for men to dine, drink, read, and socialize. They originated in the 18th century as a type of British social in ...


References


External links


Official websiteOfficial blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:National Club Gentlemen's clubs in Canada Culture of Toronto Buildings and structures in Toronto City of Toronto Heritage Properties Organizations established in 1874 1874 establishments in Ontario Lists of people by organization Clubs and societies based in Toronto