The Brook

Social club in New York City

For other uses, see The Brook (disambiguation).

The Brook is a private club located at 111 East 54th Street in Manhattan in New York City.

The exterior of the club's building in 2024

It was founded in 1903 by a group of prominent men who belonged to other New York City private clubs, such as the Knickerbocker Club and the Union Club.[1] The name is derived from the Alfred Lord Tennyson poem The Brook, whose lines "For men may come and men may go, but I go on for ever" were consistent with the intention that the club would provide 24-hour service and would never close its doors.[1] In 1992, the City Journal wrote that the name was "supposed to mean that the Club is always open and the conversation flows on forever," but that "neither is strictly true."[2] One version of the club's origin holds that The Brook was formed by two young men who had been expelled from the Union Club for trying to poach an egg on the bald head of another club member.[3]

When the club was formed, it was announced that membership was only by private invitation and would be limited to 100 men. New York City residents who were not club members would not be admitted as guests. Membership, however, was not restricted to New York City residents—some original members came from Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia.[1]

In 1954 the membership was 400 men.[3] The club's building, erected in 1925, was designed by the architecture firm of Delano & Aldrich,[4] which also designed the houses of the Union Club, the Knickerbocker, and other exclusive clubs.

## Notable members, past and present

[edit]

* John Jacob Astor IV, richest man in America at the time – died in the Titanic
* Michael R. Bloomberg, resigned his membership before becoming a candidate for Mayor of New York before later becoming a member again in 2011.[5]
* William A. Chanler, explorer, soldier and US Congressman
* Michel David-Weill, French investment banker and former Senior Partner of Lazard Frères
* Admiral James L. Holloway III[6]
* Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State
* Alejandro Santo Domingo, billionaire financier
* William K. Vanderbilt II[7]
* Jerauld Wright
* President John F. Kennedy

### Other

[edit]

* Fred Astaire, wore a Brook Club hatband in the 1953 film The Band Wagon[3]
* John Hay Whitney, visited The Brook and was treated as a member, but he was never actually a member of the club.[8]

## See also

[edit]

* List of American gentlemen's clubs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c "New Club is Launched," The New York Times (Apr. 2, 1903).
2. ^ Lejeune, Anthony. "A Tour of New York's Clubland," Archived 2008-05-21 at the Wayback Machine City Journal (Winter 1992).
3. ^ a b c The Great Club Revolution, by Cleveland Amory, American Heritage Magazine, December 1954, Volume 6, Issue 1
4. ^ Streetscapes/The Architecture of Delano & Aldrich; How an Upper-Class Firm Tweaked Classical Norms by Christopher Gray, April 27, 2003
5. ^ Murphy, Dean E. (July 25, 2011). "Bloomberg Quietly Left Four Mostly White Clubs". The New York Times. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
6. ^ "Admiral James L. Holloway III, US Navy (Ret.)," Biographies in Naval History: Naval History & Heritage Command. Accessed Apr. 26, 2011.
7. ^ "W.K. Vanderbilt, Jr., and Wife Parted?," The New York Times (Sept. 22, 1909).
8. ^ Aldrich, Nelson W. Old Money: The Mythology of Wealth in America (Allworth Communications, Inc., 1996) ISBN 1-880559-64-1, ISBN 978-1-880559-64-2, pages 50-51.

* v
* t
* e

Midtown (42nd–59th Streets)

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

| West of
5th Av|

* 1 Worldwide Plz
* 2 Columbus Cir
* 5 Columbus Cir
* 5 W 54th St
* 7 W 54th St
* 10 W 56th St
* 11 W 54th St
* 12 W 56th St
* 13–15 W 54th St
* 30 W 44th St (Penn Club)
* 30 W 56th St
* 46 W 55th St
* 53W53
* 111 W 57th St
* 120 W 46th St
* 125 W 55th St
* 130 W 57th St
* 140 W 57th St
* 165 W 57th St
* 200 Central Park S
* 218 W 57th St
* 220 Central Park S
* 224 W 57th St
* 240 Central Park S
* 500 5th Av
* 520 5th Av
* 608 5th Av
* 650 5th Av
* 660 5th Av
* 712 5th Av
* 740 8th Av
* 750 7th Av
* 810 7th Av
* 888 7th Av
* 1166 6th Av
* 1301 6th Av
* 1345 6th Av
* 1717 Broadway
* 1740 Broadway
* Aeolian Hall
* Alwyn Court
* Americas Tower
* ARO
* Axa Equitable Center
* Bank of America Tower
* Bergdorf Goodman Bldg
* The Briarcliffe
* Brill Bldg
* Calvary Baptist Church
* Carnegie Hall Tower
* Central Park Place
* Central Park Tower
* CBS Bldg
* Church of St. Mary the Virgin
* Crown Bldg
* Coty Bldg
* Deutsche Bank Center
* Executive Plz
* Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church
* Gainsborough Studios
* Hampshire House
* Hearst Tower
* Manufacturers Trust Bldg
* Mark Hellinger Theatre
* Times Square Church
* Metropolitan Tower
* New York City Bar Association Building
* New York Yacht Club Building
* One57
* The Osborne
* Paramount Plz
* Park House
* Philippine Center
* Random House Tower
* Rockefeller Apts
* Rodin Studios
* St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church
* St. Thomas Church
* Salmon Tower Bldg
* Solow Bldg
* Tower 49
* Tower Fifth
* Trump Parc
* W. R. Grace Bldg

| Rockefeller Center|

* 1 Rockefeller Plz
* 10 Rockefeller Plz
* 30 Rockefeller Plz
* 50 Rockefeller Plz
* 75 Rockefeller Plz
* 1211 6th Av
* 1221 6th Av
* 1251 6th Av
* 1271 6th Av
* British Empire Building
* International Building
* La Maison Francaise

|

Times Square|

* 1 Astor Plz
* 1 Times Sq
* 3 Times Sq
* 4 Times Sq
* 11 Times Sq
* 20 Times Sq
* 229 W 43rd St
* 255 W 43rd St
* 1500 Broadway
* 1501 Broadway
* 1540 Broadway
* 1552 Broadway
* 1585 Broadway
* TSX Broadway

East of
5th Av|

* One Vanderbilt
* 3 E 57th St
* 7 E 44th St
* 12 E 53rd St
* 18 E 50th St
* 19 E 54th St
* 100 E 53rd St (Selene)
* 138 E 50th St
* 175 Park Av
* 252 E 57th St
* 245 Park Av
* 270 Park Av
* 277 Park Av
* 299 Park Av
* 345 Park Av
* 383 Madison Av
* 399 Park Av
* 400 Madison Av
* 425 Park Av
* 432 Park Av
* 450 Lexington Av
* 450 Park Av
* 488 Madison Av (Look Bldg)
* 500 Park Av
* 525 Lexington Av
* 550 Madison Av (Sony Bldg)
* 569 Lexington Av
* 590 Madison Av (IBM Bldg)
* 599 Lexington Av
* 647 5th Av
* 689 5th Av
* 731 Lexington Av
* 919 3rd Av
* Apple Fifth Avenue
* Cartier Bldg
* CBS Studio Bldg
* Central Synagogue
* Charles Scribner's Sons Bldg
* Chrysler Bldg
* Church of Sweden in New York
* Citigroup Ctr
* CitySpire
* DuMont Bldg
* Fifth Church of Christ, Scientist
* Fred F. French Bldg
* Fuller Bldg
* General Electric Bldg
* General Motors Bldg
* Graybar Bldg
* Helmsley Bldg
* Lever House
* Lipstick Bldg
* LVMH Tower
* MetLife Bldg
* Modulightor Bldg
* William H. Moore House
* Olympic Tower
* Park Avenue Plz
* Park Avenue Tower
* Ritz Tower
* Saks Fifth Avenue
* St. Agnes Church
* St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church
* St. Patrick's Cathedral
* Seagram Bldg
* Sutton 58
* Tiffany & Co.
* Trump Tower
* Villard Houses
* William and Helen Ziegler House

Former|

* Grand Central Palace
* Hotel Marguery
* Mrs. O. H. P. Belmont House
* Sherwood Studio Building
* St. Nicholas Collegiate Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
* Studebaker Building
* Temple Emanu-El
* Union Carbide Building
* Vanderbilt Triple Palace
* William K. Vanderbilt House
* West Presbyterian Church

Theaters

| Broadway theaters|

* Ambassador
* August Wilson
* Belasco
* Bernard B. Jacobs
* Booth
* Broadhurst
* Broadway
* Circle in the Square
* Ethel Barrymore
* Eugene O'Neill
* Gerald Schoenfeld
* Gershwin
* Hayes
* Hudson
* Imperial
* James Earl Jones
* John Golden
* Lena Horne
* Longacre
* Lunt-Fontanne
* Lyceum
* Lyric
* Majestic
* Marquis
* Minskoff
* Music Box
* Neil Simon
* Palace
* Richard Rodgers
* St. James
* Samuel J. Friedman
* Shubert
* Stephen Sondheim
* Studio 54
* Todd Haimes
* Walter Kerr
* Winter Garden

|

Other venues|

* 55th Street Playhouse
* Carnegie Hall
* Ed Sullivan Theater
* The ImaginAsian
* New Victory Theater
* New York City Center
* Paris Theater
* Radio City Music Hall
* Sony Hall
* The Theater Center
* The Town Hall
* York Theatre

Closed/demolished|

* 44th Street
* 48th Street
* Apollo
* Center
* Capitol
* Earl Carroll
* Edison
* Embassy
* Fulton
* George M. Cohan's
* Loew's State
* Lyric
* New Century
* Olympia
* Roxy
* Strand
* Times Square
* Victoria
* Ziegfeld (1927)
* Ziegfeld (1969)

Hotels

| Current|

* Algonquin Hotel
* Allerton Hotel for Women
* The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York
* Cassa Hotel & Residences
* The Chatwal New York
* Club Quarters, Midtown
* Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan
* Four Seasons Hotel New York
* Hotel Edison
* Hotel Elysée
* Hotel Gerard
* Hyatt Grand Central New York
* InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel
* JW Marriott Essex House
* The Iroquois New York
* Lexington Hotel
* Lombardy Hotel
* Lotte New York Palace Hotel
* Luxor Hotel
* Mansfield Hotel
* The Michelangelo
* Millennium Times Square New York
* New York Hilton Midtown
* New York Marriott Marquis
* Paramount Hotel
* Park Central Hotel
* Park Lane Hotel
* The Peninsula New York
* Plaza Hotel
* The Quin
* The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park
* Roger Smith Hotel
* Row NYC Hotel
* Royalton Hotel
* St. Regis New York
* Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel
* Sofitel New York Hotel
* Thompson Central Park New York Hotel
* Waldorf Astoria New York
* Warwick New York Hotel

|

Former|

* DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Metropolitan New York City
* Hotel Carter
* Hotel Claridge
* Hotel Manhattan
* Hotel Metropole
* New York Biltmore Hotel
* New York Marriott East Side
* Omni Berkshire Place
* Pabst Hotel
* Ritz-Carlton Hotel
* Roosevelt Hotel
* Savoy-Plaza Hotel
* Times Square Hotel
* Weylin Hotel
* Windsor Hotel

Other points of interest

| Restaurants/
nightlife|

* 21 Club
* 54 Below
* Alto
* Anthos
* Aureole
* Burger Heaven
* Le Bernardin
* Cafe Chambord
* Campbell Apartment
* La Caravelle
* Caviar Russe
* Del Pezzo Restaurant
* Ellen's Stardust Diner
* Four Twenty Five
* Gabriel Kreuther
* Gallagher's Steakhouse
* Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant
* La Grenouille
* Iridium Jazz Club
* Le Jardinier
* King Cole Bar
* Kurumazushi
* Latin Quarter
* Lespinasse
* Marea
* Naro
* The Pool and the Grill
* Oceana
* The Original Soupman
* P. J. Clarke's
* Patsy's
* Le Pavillon
* Prime Burger
* The Quilted Giraffe
* Rainbow Room
* Restaurant Aquavit
* Rumpelmayer's
* Russian Tea Room
* Sardi's
* Satsuki
* Shun Lee Palace
* Stage Deli
* The Campbell

|

Museums/
cultural centers|

* Austrian Cultural Forum New York
* Girl Scout Museum and Archives
* John M. Mossman Lock Museum
* Korean Cultural Center New York
* Madame Tussauds New York
* Museum of Arts and Design
* Museum of Broadway
* Museum of Modern Art
* New York Transit Museum
* Paley Center for Media
* Rose Museum
* Spyscape

Stores|

* Argosy Book Store
* Gotham Book Mart

Clubhouses|

* American Fine Arts Society
* The Brook
* Century Association
* Cornell Club of New York
* Harvard Club of New York City
* New York Athletic Club
* New York City Bar Association
* New York Friars Club
* New York Yacht Club
* Penn Club of New York
* Racquet and Tennis Club
* University Club of New York
* Women's National Republican Club
* Yale Club of New York City

Clubhouses (former)|

* Princeton Club of New York

Green spaces|

* Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden
* Central Park
* Grand Army Plaza
* Greenacre Park
* Paley Park

Educational
institutions|

* 53rd Street Library
* Circle in the Square Theatre School
* CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies
* High School of Performing Arts
* Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School for International Careers
* Saint Thomas Choir School
* SUNY College of Optometry

Art galleries|

* Galerie St. Etienne
* Rehs Galleries

Transportation

| Subway stations|

* Fifth Avenue/53rd Street
* Fifth Avenue–59th Street
* Seventh Avenue
* 42nd Street–Bryant Park/Fifth Avenue
* 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal
* 47th–50th Streets–Rockefeller Center
* 49th Street
* 50th Street
* 50th Street
* 57th Street–Seventh Avenue
* 57th Street
* 59th Street–Columbus Circle
* Grand Central–42nd Street
* Lexington Avenue/51st Street
* Lexington Avenue/59th Street
* Times Square–42nd Street

|

Railroad stations|

* Grand Central Madison
* Grand Central Terminal

Streets and
intersections|

* Third Avenue
* Fifth Avenue
* Sixth Avenue
* Six and a Half Avenue
* Seventh Avenue
* Eighth Avenue
* 42nd
* 47th
* 50th
* 51st
* 52nd
* 53rd
* 54th
* 55th
* 57th
* 59th
* Broadway
* Columbus Circle
* Duffy Square
* Grand Army Plaza
* George Abbott Way
* Lexington Avenue
* Madison Avenue
* Park Avenue
* Park Avenue Viaduct
* Pershing Square
* Shubert Alley
* Times Square
* Vanderbilt Avenue

Related topics

* Billionaires' Row
* Little Brazil
* Midtown South
* Minnesota Strip

See also: Manhattan Community Board 5

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