The York 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 ...

that was incorporated on November 22, 1909. It is located at 135 St. George Street in

The Annex The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road. The City of Toronto recognizes ...

neighbourhood of central

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, close to the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

's main campus. The club's name refers to the

town of York A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

, which became the

city of Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

in 1834.

Clubhouse

2020-09-09 135 St George Street (Toronto) 001

The club's building was originally constructed between 1889 and 1892 as a residence for businessman George Gooderham Sr. (1830–1905) and his large family. Gooderham was a son of William Gooderham (1790–1881) and served as president of the

Gooderham and Worts Gooderham and Worts, also known as Gooderham & Worts Limited, was a Canadian distiller of alcoholic beverages. It was once one of the largest distillers in Canada. The company was merged in 1926 with Hiram Walker & Sons Ltd., and the merged fir ...

distillery. The house was designed in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style by architect David Roberts Jr., who also designed the

Gooderham Building The Gooderham Building, also known as the Flatiron Building, is an historic office building at 49 Wellington Street East in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the eastern edge of the city's Financial District (east of Yonge Street) in th ...

downtown. After Gooderham died in May 1905, at the age of 75, his widow Harriet Gooderham (''née'' Dean) sold the house and moved to a smaller home nearby at 224 St. George Street. The York Club has owned the building since 1910.

Membership

The York Club was originally founded as a gentlemen's club, but in 1992, the club's membership voted overwhelmingly in favour of admitting women to full membership. The initial class of female members numbered five accomplished candidates, and the club rapidly introduced them onto its committees and Board of Directors. Six years after that initial decision, the Toronto Ladies' Club (founded in 1904) amalgamated with The York Club, further strengthening the latter's female membership.Mary Byers, ''The York Club: A Centennial History'', Malcolm Lester & Associates, Canada, 2009.

References

External links

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Lost Rivers – York Club
Clubs and societies based in Toronto Houses completed in 1892 Houses in Toronto Romanesque Revival architecture in Canada Organizations established in 1909 1909 establishments in Ontario {{Canada-org-stub