Williams Club
Encyclopedia
Princeton Club of New York
The Princeton Club of New York is a private club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA. Its membership is composed almost entirely of alumni and faculty of Princeton University, which is located 40 miles outside New York City in Princeton, New Jersey.Incorporated on December...
for alumni of Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
. Until 2010, it was its own private club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
.
The Williams Club was founded in 1913 by Williams alumni in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as a place to socialize. The club was originally located at 291 Madison Avenue
Madison Avenue (Manhattan)
Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square to the Madison Avenue Bridge at 138th Street. In doing so, it passes through Midtown, the Upper East Side , Spanish Harlem, and...
in a building donated by Mary Clark Thompson
Mary Clark Thompson
Mary Clark Thompson , born Mary Lee Clark, was a noted philanthropist and wife of banker Frederick Ferris Thompson.-Early years:Mary Lee Clark was born in Naples, New York in 1835 to Myron Holley and Zilpha Watkins Clark...
, wife of Williams alumnus Frederick Ferris Thompson. In 1921, it moved to 24 East 39th Street in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, which it then renovated in 1988. On June 1, 2010, however, the Williams Club ceased operating on its own and moved its membership program and related activities to the Princeton Club. Today, members and their guests can use the Princeton Club's facilities.
Although the club is primarily made up of Williams alumni, membership categories also include Affiliate Membership and Associate Membership. Affiliate Membership is available to graduates, faculty members or senior administrators of 54 institutions, many of which are small liberal arts colleges such as Williams itself. Associate Membership is available to individuals with a BA from an accredited school and the sponsorship of a current member.