PHOENIX CLUB
Col. S.W. Trost President
The Phoenix Club is on
the s. e. corner of 9th and Race. Sts. was opened in 1893 and was the clubhouse
for the first private Jewish men's club in the region. This was another of the
many buildings designed by Samuel Hannaford & Sons (as were the buildings on
two of the other corners at this intersection). The Businessmen's Club (see
below) bought the
building in 1911 and rebuilt their new building next door in 1924. The Phoenix
Club is a registered historic building that was listed in the National Register
on March 3, 1980.
The building was closed in 1983 and the Cincinnati Club sold the
building. It was boarded up and unused for 3 years. In 1986 it was again sold
and was restored to its original splendor and reopened as a fine private dining
and restaurant facility. The 5th image above is a photograph.
When the building was boarded up the stained glass windows on the
second floor in the ballroom were stolen with anyone noticing between 1984-86. A
suspect was charged and tried for the crime. During the trial the windows
reappeared in the hallway of the courthouse. The case was dropped and the
windows were replaced. A few small pieces were lost and the replacements can now
be seen by the darker color brown. The color could not be reproduced in the 20th
century!
This postcard shows the burned out remnants of the old Business Men's Club in 1911. This was the reason they bought the Phoenix Club shown above.
The next five cards show the Cincinnati Businessmen's new building which was constructed next door to the original clubhouse. Completed in 1924 it was considered to be one of the finest clubhouses in the Middle West. The 10 story building had a gymnasium, Turkish bath, dining rooms, billiard and card rooms, bowling alleys, library, reading rooms, and residential quarters. The old Phoenix Club was connected to the new building by way of an underground tunnel and also by 3 enclosed walkways (no longer functional). It was used to house more of the Clubs athletic and recreational facilities. When the Phoenix Club was dissolved the last 18 members became members of the Cincinnati Club. This building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 11, 1985.
*
Business Men's Club Banquet
T. J. Moffettt
President
THE CINCINNATI ATHLETIC CLUB
The Cincinnati Athletic Club is the oldest athletic
organization in the country that has been, and remains today, a men's only club.
Founded in 1853 by a boxer, Samuel Barrett. Barrett operated a gymnasium and
training school in the famous Bazaar building owned by Frances Trollope on 3rd
Street near Broadway. Some of the original pupils of Barrett's included Thomas
and Joseph Emery and future President Rutherford B. Hayes organized the Young
Men's Gymnastic Association. They equipped a gym in the Apollo Building at the
northwest corner of 5th and Walnut in 1853.
The YMGA moved to 4th and Race streets into the top floor of the
Potter Building (home of the Cincinnati Daily Commercial) in 1860.
When the Civil War began Hayes who was president of the club at
that time resigned to join the army. Rutherford B. Hayes later became governor of Ohio
and then President of the United States.
In 1885 the organization now called the Cincinnati Gymnasium moved
to the Grand Opera House at Longworth and Vine streets. The owner , David
Sinton, poured $15,000 into converting Mozart Hall into a gym. On January 22,
1901 a fire completely gutted the entire building.
When their new
building, seen below in the 1st card, opened in 1903 at 111 Shillito Place the Cincinnati
Gymnasium and Athletic
Club, as it was now called, had become a prominent organization in local sports. They sponsored gymnastic,
track & field, football, baseball, and boxing teams. they also had a basketball team.
Believe it
or not Rutherford B. Hayes was not the only future President of the United States that was of
member of this club. James A Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and William Howard
Taft were also members. The businessmen seen in the second
card are exercising inside the Athletic Club during the day. At night it
turned into a basketball floor. Professionalism and amateurism was a big
controversy at this time with teams attracting the best players in the city any
way they could. The games played here charged 15 cent admission, with a portion
of the receipts (negotiated) going to the opponents.
The last image below is not a postcard. On January 17, 1983 this
building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The next group of cards show The Fenwick at 435 Commercial Sq. It was the headquarters of the Fenwick Club, a Catholic organization which provided rooms for men from 18 to 40. Organized in 1915 the 9 story building contained a lounge, ballroom-auditorium, gymnasium, swimming pool, game rooms, classrooms, cafeteria, and offices. The building was demolished to make way for P. & G's headquarters. It was located where the trellis stands in front of P. & G. Even though it no longer exists it is still listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
View From Roof
Garden
Chapel
Chapel
Lounging Room
Ballroom
Office
The last RPPC above was mixed in with a group of Fenwick cards but there is nothing written to state that it is one. If anyone knows for sure please let me know.
Around the turn of the century, many of Avondale's wealthy residents were members of the Avondale Athletic Club. This site was purchased in 1911 and it is now the campus of Xavier University.
CINCINNATI WOMEN'S CLUB
The Cincinnati Women's Club building, seen in the cards below, located at 643 Oak street was razed for the construction of I 71 in the 1960's. The club's was founded in 1894. The original seven women got the idea for starting a club was during their work together in the building of the Women's Hall at the 1893 World's Fair (AKA the Columbian Exposition.) Their first meeting was held in March of 1896. Some of the club's accomplishments are: the setting up of playgrounds, school gardens, began the "penny luncheon", and they erected the first community Christmas tree on Government Square.
Tea
Room
Auditorium
Gold Medal Garden
Grand
Stairway
RPPC
After their first building was razed the club moved to 330 Lafayette Avenue seen in the two photographs below.
Overhead
View
Entrance
The Cincinnati Business Women's Club was located at 425 E. Fourth Street. Founded in 1916 it was made up of women active in commerce, industry, and the professions.
Original
building
Reading Room in
1910
Photograph New
building 4th & Broadway
The Queen City Club opened in July of 1876 at 8th and Elm St. The club moved in 1927 to its present building at the southwest corner of 4th and Broadway. The last 3 images are not postcards.
These cards show the Elks Lodge (Temple) #5 at the n. e. corner of 9th and Elm. I am sure if you are from this area you know all about this building. During WWII the Camp Washington facilities that WLW radio was using was needed for defense work so the studios were transferred to this building. On February 10, 1948 WLW-TV began broadcasting as the first television station in Ohio from Fairview Hill. In 1951 the TV studios were also moved to this location. Go to the Entertainment Page for more information about this building.
I am not sure of the location of the two Elks Temple cards below.
F.O.E. (Fraternal Order of Eagles)
Aerie #
1162
Aerie #142
Eagles' Hall, Reading
Eagles Hall Norwood
St. Bernard
Hall
Billiard & Pool
Hall
Auditorium
These three cards show the Court Of Honor for the convention held August 13-18, 1917 for the Eagles Grand Aerie. Although the decorations for this convention was done by a Cincinnati Co. (The William Beck & Son Decorators) these cards may be showing the F.O.E. in another city.
Eagle's Club Rooms
Day
View
Night View
FOR MORE
OF THESE CARDS 
