York Club

The York Club is a private members' club that was incorporated on November 22, 1909. It is located at 135 St. George Street in The Annex neighbourhood of central Toronto, Ontario, close to the University of Toronto's main campus. The club's name refers to the town of York in Upper Canada, which became the city of Toronto in 1834.

The York Club
FoundedNovember 22, 1909 (1909-11-22)
TypePrivate members' club
Location
  • 135 St. George Street
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Websitetheyorkclub.org

Clubhouse
The York Club's front façade
The George Gooderham house in 1892, seen from the southwest corner of Bloor and St. George streets

The club's building was originally constructed between 1889 and 1892 as a residence for businessman George Gooderham Sr. (1830–1905) and his large family.[1] Gooderham was a son of William Gooderham (1790–1881) and served as president of the Gooderham and Worts distillery.[2] The house was designed in the Romanesque Revival style by architect David Roberts Jr., who also designed the Gooderham Building downtown.

After Gooderham died in May 1905, at the age of 75, his widow Harriet Gooderham (née Dean) sold the house and moved to a smaller home nearby at 224 St. George Street.[3] The York Club has owned the building since 1910.

Membership

The York Club was originally founded as a gentlemen's club, but in 1992, the club's membership voted overwhelmingly in favour of admitting women to full membership. The initial class of female members numbered five accomplished candidates, and the club rapidly introduced them onto its committees and Board of Directors. Six years after that initial decision, the Toronto Ladies' Club (founded in 1904) amalgamated with The York Club, further strengthening the latter's female membership.[4]

References
  1. "The York Club". Occasional Toronto. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
  2. Dean Beeby, "George Gooderham" in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 13, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 1994. Retrieved October 11, 2015.
  3. "York Club". Points of Interest Along Lost Streams. Retrieved March 6, 2011.
  4. Mary Byers, The York Club: A Centennial History, Malcolm Lester & Associates, Canada, 2009.

43°40′04″N 79°23′58″W


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