Metropolitan Club, 1929. Organized in 1891 by a group of distinguished (male) New Yorkers, led by J.P. Morgan following the rejection of a number of his nominations to Union Club, the Metropolitan Club has remained a elite private social club for the last 125 years. Soon after its establishment the club members purchased a plot of land for a club house (each of the founding 25 members gave $5000). The Stanford White-designed building is an Italian Renaissance structure, which was described by 19th-century architectural historian Montgomery Schuyler as "the largest, most imposing, and most luxurious of the club-houses of New York.'' One distinguished feature of the building is the large wrought iron gated entrance to the east of the 60th street facade. In 1912 Ogden Codman Jr. drastically renovated a neighboring five story residence into a six-story annex for the club, which included bachelor apartments.

In New York in 1899 there seemed to be a club for everything. The Century and Lotus Clubs were for authors and artists. The Harmonie and Progress Clubs were for German Jews. The Union League was for men interested in politics and civic projects. And St. Nicholas admitted those with Dutch ancestry

Hotel Pierre Dissatisfied with the "democratization of public manners," French Restauranteur Charles Pierre Casalasco organized a group of financiers to build a hotel. Built on the site of the old Gerry Mansion, the Pierre as it would soon be called, rose 41 stories and cost an estimated 15 million dollars to build (an extravagant sum at the time.) Designed by Schultze and Weaver, its most eye-catching feature is a top is modeled after Mansart's Royal Chapel at Versaille. Society turned out in force for its opening in1930 and the Pierre quickly earned a reputation as one of the city's finest hotels for a time. However, the great depression took a toll on the Pierre and it went into bankruptcy in 1932, just two years after its opening. J. Paul Getty ended up buying it in 1938 and converted some of the hotel rooms into apartments. Since its conception, despite its fiscal travails, the Pierre has attracted many notable inhabitants, including (to name a few) Sumner Redstone, Edward St. Aubyn, and Aristotle Onassis.

Metropolitan Club Building ARCHITECT: McKim, Mead & White; Stanford White DATE: 1891-94 STYLE: Italian Renaissance Described by the 19th-century architectural historian Montgomery Schuyler as “the largest, most imposing, and most luxurious of the club-houses of New York” the Metropolitan Club Building was designed by Stanford White, a partner in the firm of McKim, Mead & White, and was built between 1892 and 1894. Executed on a grand scale in a restrained Italian Renaissance manner, the building incorporated the prestige and dignity of the Club’s founding members.

Metropolitan Club ca. 1914 Reputedly founded by J.P. Morgan for the benefit of a friend who had been denied membership in another club, this palazzo has long been known as the "Millionaires' Club." The exterior with its gates and carriage turn-around is extremely handsome and expressive. The interior, despite its sumptuousness, has certain failings in proportion though not in its details. The marble-lined great hall, which is relatively narrow, extends up several stories, producing a sensation of excessive height.

In New York in 1899 there seemed to be a club for everything. The Century and Lotus Clubs were for authors and artists. The Harmonie and Progress Clubs were for German Jews. The Union League was for men interested in politics and civic projects. And St. Nicholas admitted those with Dutch ancestry. Getting membership in particular clubs was essential to gaining and keeping a spot at the top of the social ladder. Club membership was also intertwined with professional standing. the vast majority of partners in banking and industrial firms held membership in several clubs and the era's biggest business deals often over a meal in one of their dining rooms. The Metropolitan Club was dubbed the "Millionaire's Club" by the press. It not only drew the city's wealthiest as members, but also had the most imposing and lavish design. Men including J.P. Morgan, William K. Vanderbilt, and William C. Whitney founded it out of frustration with the historic Union Club, which occupied outdated facilities on an unfashionable stretch of Fifth Avenue and had refused membership referrals by some of its most important members. John King- President of the Erie Railroad Company and Morgan's friend- supposed got rejected because he had poor table manners. Morgan chose McKim, Mead, and White to design the structure you see in front of you. It was the premiere firm for social clubs, and would also design the original Penn Station and J.P. Morgan's Library. The marble building was created to resemble a 15th century Florentine palace. And the sheer height of its main stories- 25 feet- gave it gravitas. Today, the Metropolitan Club remains private but open to public rental for events that range from weddings to celebrations for Hollywood actors.

When the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Rockefellers moved uptown, the hotels quickly followed. The gravitational shift of New York's social scene meant that prestigious hotels like the Waldorf-Astoria were no longer in the thick of it. However, developers are never too far behind a trend and soon some of the world's most luxurious hotels sprouted next to the mansions of Fifth Avenue.