We begin a new year, and with that comes the promise of new beginnings. We turn the page saying goodbye to the past. The future lies ahead as we await the new year’s promises. This is very true for our Club. On November 15th, we closed the sale of our old clubhouse at 22 East 35th Street. Before the end of November, we signed a 15-year lease on our new clubhouse.

Closing the sale of 22 East 35th should be no surprise. The sales process was run with professionalism by our team at Cushman & Wakefield, and the price we obtained was full value. The building had innumerable memories, but the time to move forward has arrived and turn that page.

So, where are we going? Our new home is at 58 West 40th Street. That places us where we belong: between Penn Station and Grand Central terminal. Our 40th location is between 5th and 6th Avenues, on the south side of the street overlooking Bryant Park. Bryant Park itself is immediately behind the main New York Public Library. Technically, we have moved from Murray Hill to Midtown South.

Our new building was built in 1921 and has 17 stories. We occupy the entirety of the 1st-floor mezzanine. There are no other tenants on our floor. Each floor in the building has only one tenant. Our floor features floor-to-ceiling windows along the entire building width on 40th Street. The view overlooking Bryant Park is outstanding.

Although the building was built a century ago, our space is entirely up to date. High-speed internet: no problem. Capacity to carry the weight load of the library: no problem. Modern heating and cooling. Easy access for mobility-challenged individuals: no problem.

The space measures 7,480 rentable square feet. More important than some abstract measurement is the fact that we will fit the space and we will fit it well. Our architects measured the spaces we used at 22 East 35th and overlaid that onto 50 West 40th. The only thing we will lose is underutilized space or space that was wasted due to the design of the old clubhouse. The old clubhouse’s floor plate was designed as two spaces, one in the front and one in the back, joined by the elevator and staircase lobby. Much of that connective tissue could not be used. Our new space is shaped like a rectangle, and very little space will be wasted. The elevators and restroom are on one side of the floor, maximizing space utilization.

You enter the building into a small marble lobby. This is not some vast NYC building with 55 stories and floors that occupy a city block. This is a “family” building, and we think you will feel the intimacy of the building as you enter. There is 24/7 reception, and the elevator will take you one flight up. The elevator will open, and you will be in the Club when it opens—no doors to open or corridors to walk down. As you turn to the right, you will enter our main lounge, where you will meet other members and be able to look out over Bryant Park. If, alternatively, you had turned left, you would have been led to our new library space. In the center, between the library and the lounge, will be the presentation room, fully outfitted with the latest technical equipment allowing us to reach members both in the room and across the world. Beyond these spaces, we anticipate two seminar rooms where small groups can gather, a modern pantry, and restroom access that meets ADA standards.

We do not yet have a full design. We will have to build out the floor to our design. We are working with our architects and are working on the design now. Much work remains. But we did have a test fit run to make sure this space would work, and it will work. For those who can join us for in-house programs, the evening will begin in an elegant area to socialize with your friends; once the time is reached, we will walk across the room through a set of wide doors and enter the presentation space. The simplicity and ease we will walk about may be startling at first. We have become very used to broken-up and disconnected spaces and awkward flows, that will not be the case here. We anticipate that the flow in the building will be very natural and smooth. It will be very exciting.

As the design firms up, we will share this with you and look forward to your reactions as we build our new home.

 

–Lawrence Haber