National Club

The National Club is a private members' club founded in 1874 for business professionals located in the Financial District of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, 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 on July 6, 1874. There were 24 members in the original roster."Hawkes, D.F., ed. "The National Century: A history of The National Club 1874 to 1974." Toronto, 1974, page IX The National Club was created to provide a home and Toronto focus for Canada First, a nationalist movement founded in 1868 by George Denison, Henry Morgan, Charles Mair, 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 National Century", p. 3 The Club's first president was Dr. Goldwin Smith, a prominent historian and journalist, and a supporter of the Canada First movement. His First Vice President was William Pearce Howland, the second Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Other founders included the Hon. Edward Blake, Ontario's first premier, and Sir Oliver Mowat, Ontario's second premier."125: The first 125 years - The National Club" Toronto, 1999, page 2 http://www.thenationalclub.com/images/sitepicts/images/125Book.pdf

By the 1880s, the Canada First movement virtually disappeared,Gough, Barry M., "Historical Dictionary of Canada", 2nd Ed., Scarecrow Press, 2010 pp. 112-13 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."The National Century", p. 15"The National Club: Life membership provided on payment of $1000", The Toronto Star, 6 January 1906"Members Indorse the Proposal to Purchase Old Robinson House", Toronto Daily Star, 5 January 1904 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 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), the Canada Life Building, the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Bishop Strachan School, Eaton's College Street store, and the Canada Permanent Trust building across the street from the National Club."Once Upon A City: The opulent landmarks of Sproatt & Rolph" Toronto Star, March 9, 2017 https://www.thestar.com/yourtoronto/once-upon-a-city-archives/2017/03/09/once-upon-a-city-the-opulent-landmarks-of-sproatt-rolph.html 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.https://secure.cscm.org/default.asp?id=1513

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 system of concourses and tunnels through an unmarked door leading to the lower level of the Scotia Plaza. 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."125: The first 125 years - The National Club", p. 8

The membership of the former Ontario Club joined the National Club in 2010 after the lease expired on its own clubhouse in Commerce Court.

Prominent members The National Club has had on its roster a number of noted Canadians, including many national and provincial politicians. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, the seventh prime minister of Canada, was an early member and sat for a portrait after opening the current clubhouse in 1907. Others include: The Hon. Lincoln Alexander, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Joseph E. Atkinson, founder of the Toronto Star newspaper Wilfrid Dinnick, developer of Toronto's Lawrence Park Estates Timothy Eaton, founder of Eaton's department stores Gerhardt Heintzman, founder of piano manufacturer Heintzman & Co. JP Hynes, architect responsible for the design of the Hotel Victoria (originally Hotel Mossop) E. J. Lennox, architect responsible for the design of Old City Hall, Casa Loma and King Edward Hotel Henry Patten, General Manager of Toronto Transportation Commission Robert Simpson, founder of Simpson's department stores"National Club holds annual meeting and elects officers", Toronto Daily Star, 4 May 1899 Fred Smye, President of aircraft manufacturer Avro Canada

Grant of arms In 1996, the National Club was granted its own arms and flag by the Canadian Heraldic Authority.

Presidents

1875-76 – Dr. Goldwin Smith 1877 – Sir William P. Howland 1878 – Dr. Goldwin Smith 1879-82 – The Hon. Adam Crooks 1883-84 – Col. George T. Denison 1885-86 – Alexander Manning 1887-89 – Hugh Blain 1890-91 – Barlow Cumberland 1892 – John Akers 1893-96 – Frank Arnoldi, Q.C. 1897-1900 – W. K. McNaught 1901-02 – John F. Ellis 1903-05 – Col. Noel G. L. Marshall 1906-07 – W. K. George 1908-09 – G. T. Irving 1910-11 – William Stone 1912-13 – W. P. Gundy 1914-15 – A. L. Malone 1916 – R. Southam 1917 – R. S. Gourlay 1918-19 – S. Casey Wood, K.C. 1920 – F. A. Rolph 1921-22 – G. E. Scroggie 1923-24 – John Turnbull 1925-26 – C. B. McNaught 1927-28 – E. G. Long, K.C. 1929-30 – John Westren 1931-32 – C. E. Abbs 1933-34 – Brig.-Gen. C. H. Mitchell, C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O. 1935-36 – J. J. Gibbons 1937-38 – T. W. Jull 1939 – F. Erichsen-Brown, K.C. 1940 – J. M. Lalor 1941 – J. T. Richardson, K.C. 1942 – J. Y. Murdoch, K.C., LL.D. 1943 – E. W. Bickle 1944 – E. C. Fox, LL.D. 1945 – H. J. Coon 1946 – William Zimmerman, K.C. 1947 – H. R. Stephenson 1948 – H. B. Housser 1949 – Robert Lynch Stailing 1950 – W. G. Malcolm 1951 – J. A. Northey 1952 – D. A. Y. Merrick 1953 – W. W. McLaughlin, Q.C. 1954 – S. A. Duke 1955 – E. H. Dickinson 1956 – A. P. Jewett, O.B.E. 1957 – J. A. Scythes 1958 – L. J. McGowan 1959 – H. P. Herington, F.C.A. 1960 – R. G. Meech, Q.C. 1961 – H. T. O’Neil 1962 – A. J. Mylrea 1963 – H. H. Webb, M.B.E. 1964 – W. W. Parry, Q.C. 1965 – W. Dent Smith, LL.D. 1966 – John F. Ellis, M.B.E. 1967 – W. P. Freyseng 1968 – John E. Langdon 1969 – J. D. MacFarlane, M.B.E. 1970 – Oakah L. Jones 1971 – J. G. Housser, M.C., E.D. 1972 – Murray Bosley 1973 – W. Grant Ross 1974 – J. S. Deacon 1975 – F. R. Hume, Q.C. 1976 – C. Gordon Page 1977 – A. R. Marchment, F.C.A. 1978 – D. W. Morrison, D.F.C. 1979 – W. H. Broadhurst, F.C.A. 1980 – R. C. Meech, Q.C. 1981 – G. W. Woods, F.C.A. 1982 – E. J. Mannion 1983 – S. E. Eagles, D.C.L. 1984 – M. A. Hasley 1985 – J. Chisholm Lyons, Q.C. 1986 – R. G. Stackhouse, F.C.A. 1987 – R. H. Hawkes, Q.C. 1988 – E. B. Heyland 1989 – Peter P. Biggs 1990 – R. E. MacKay, F.C.A. 1991 – W. B. Boggs 1992 – R. E. Lint 1993 – J. A. Black 1994 – J. A. Bradshaw, Q.C. 1995 – M. J. O’Leary 1996 – Roger A. Lindsay, of Craighall 1997 – Hugh H. Turnbull 1998 – George A. Fierheller, C.M., B.A., LL.D. 1999 – L. Diane Woodruff 2000 – John M. McGuire 2001 – The Honourable Mr. Justice Randall Scott Echlin 2002 – Eric Stevenson 2003 – Col. Blake C. Goldring, C.F.A., LL.D. 2004 – Catherine Lyons 2005 – Stephen LeDrew 2006 – Pamela P. Jeffery 2007 – Ed Burns 2008 – Joseph J. Markson 2009 – Daniel N. Argiros 2010 – T. John Quinn 2011 – P. Lee Fisher 2012 – Norman F. Torrie 2013 – Stephen J. Lautens 2014 – Bruce Bowser 2015 – Sean Hoehn 2016 – Craig Smith 2017-18 – Winnie Lindy Go 2019-20 – Michael A. Dignam 2021 – Malcolm MacKillop 2022 – Kathy Steffan 2023 – Marc Mercier

National Club

Bron en licentie