The private club industry is justly proud of its evolution. When private clubs were first established in the United States, membership was primarily only open to the well-heeled. Members were typically men (and only men) from the most exclusive parts of society.
Today, though, clubs tend to be more inclusive, diverse and family friendly. And there’s a club for everyone. In addition to the traditional golf and yacht clubs, there are scores of clubs catering to all interests and lifestyles, including clubs for comedians, magi- cians, writers, thespians, business leaders and philosophers, to name just a few.
One type of club, in particular, is going strong. Women-only clubs have been part of the private club landscape for more than 150 years. Over the years, they’ve provided a place for women to get together, maintain friendships and pursue charitable endeavors. Today, well into the 21st century, women-only clubs are enjoying a renaissance of sorts because, in addition to their traditional attractions, they also provide a perfect setting for business and social networking.
The first women-only clubs began to appear in the mid-19th century as part of the Club Movement, an American women’s social movement that provided women an independent avenue for education and active community service. The movement’s leaders envisioned women’s clubs as means for promoting women’s education while, at the same time, bettering society through voluntary community service.
One of the first of these clubs was the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin (WCW), which was founded in 1876. A few years later WCW members formed a women-owned stock company, bought land, and built the very first women’s club building in the United States. WCW served as a model for clubs across the U.S., and today it is the oldest operating women’s club in the nation. It is still housed in an Historic Landmark building, which is also Milwaukee’s longest-standing building erected as a private club.
“In 1876 few women had the opportunity to pursue higher education or play a role in the community outside the home,” said Jennifer Beck, CCM, CCE, general manager of the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin. “Our club’s first members sought a venue where they could inform themselves, engage in intellectual conversation with their peers and explore ways to be involved in the community.”
145 years after its founding, WCW is still carrying out its original lofty aims. It’s a place of service, learning and friendship, and members work diligently on club-sponsored community outreach projects and use their membership to learn about and further community activities that they can pursue individually. The club’s nonprofit foundation solicits monetary donations from members and their friends and has distributed more than a million dollars in grants to local nonprofit organizations and has done so since the foundation was created in 1965.
Another club with a rich history is the Metropolitan Club in San Francisco. Founded in 1915, it was the first athletic club for women west of the Mississippi River, and it soon grew to include women athletes, working women and artists among its members.
Like the Metropolitan Club, Town and Country Club is in San Francisco. Founded in 1893, it is the second oldest women’s club in San Francisco and the fifth oldest in the U.S. At the time of its founding, the New York Sun described it as “a unique club for women” and it provided a reading room and circulating library where members from both the town and the country could gather for lectures, programs and other social events.
Town and Country Club is located on Union Square, the vibrant shopping district of San Francisco, and today it provides a place for members and their guests to enjoy an elegant luncheon or a quick break for coffee and a snack . . . or afternoon tea and cookies. The library boasts more than 7,000 classic and cur- rent titles for members to enjoy.
“Town and Country Club offers a genuine camaraderie that makes friendship so special,” said Cynthia Enanoria, CCM, general manager of the Town and Country Club. “Our members appreciate that they are enjoying the traditions that started over 100 years ago and consider it their duty to serve as custodians for future club members to leave the club stronger, both in terms of member- ship and financially.”
Prior to becoming general manager of Town and Country Club, Enanoria served for 22 years as assistant general manager at the Pacific-Union Club, a storied all-male club in the city. She says that the primary bond that connects the two—as well as other same sex clubs—is their reverence for history and tradition.
“Think of these single sex clubs as the place where you want to go with your best friend,” said Enanoria. “We all spend time with our significant others but coming to the club to enjoy time with other women enhances our lives in other ways.”
Another storied club is the Chilton Club, which was founded in 1910 in Boston’s scenic Back Bay neighborhood by 10 prominent Boston ladies. The founders wanted a club in Boston, patterned on the Colony Club in New York, that was more “interesting and exciting” than existing social club options for women at the time. The new club offered a genial, elegant retreat in the city, offering restaurants, bedrooms, an assembly room and a library.
“The club promotes friendship and provides opportunities for shared social, intellectual and cultural pursuits in an environment that is welcoming and inclusive,” said Carol Bliss, CCM, general manager and chief operating officer of the Chilton Club. “With appreciation for tradition while adapting to a changing world, the Chilton Club is committed to high standards in all aspects of club life.”
A younger—but no less impressive—club is The Village Club (TVC) in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The Village Club was founded in 1956 as a charitable and education organization, and with the purchase of its clubhouse in 1960, it became a more traditional same-sex private club, offering dining and social activities.
“Like many women’s clubs, philanthropy has been an important element of our club from the beginning,” said Carol Litka, president of The Village Club. “Our Foundation continues to grow and thrive, donating nearly $300,000 to area charities.”
Social and Educational Opportunities
As important as community service is for most clubs, they are still primarily organizations that provide social and educational opportunities to members. The Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, for instance, offers lectures and other events to widen the horizons of members, challenge their worldviews and help members understand important, complex issues facing the local community and beyond.
At the Metropolitan Club of San Francisco, recreational activities revolve around athletics, which isn’t a surprise given that the club was founded as an athletic club. In addition to swimming and gym activities, the club also offers exercise and yoga classes for members and female guests. Members and guests can also play tennis and pickleball on the club’s full-size tennis court. There’s also a tennis pro on hand to provide lessons.
Socialization and education are the focuses of the Town and Country Club. In addition to its impressive library and lecture series, the club offers members a bar stocked with a wide variety of spirits and champagne, sparkling wines and members’ favorite wines. It’s the perfect venue for a birthday lunch, bridal shower, baby shower or engagement party.
For The Village Club, the appeal to members comes from socializing and networking with other women and supporting charitable causes that are important to women.
“The culture of club is defined by its members,” said Stan Pena, general manager of The Village Club. “Men’s clubs, golf and tennis clubs focus on the needs, desires and interests of people whose focus is different than those of women. Like-mindedness, common interests, connection with and compassion for our local community are what bring women to TVC. Women lead at TVC.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has led clubs to find creative new ways to offer socially distanced programing. For instance, the Chilton Club sponsored a series of virtual programs and small socially distanced events, including a presentation by Harvard Kennedy School professor (and former head of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers) Jason Furman on the economic impact of the pandemic; a special presentation by Dr. Katie Hanson, Associate Curator of European Paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) of MFA’s collection of Monet oil paintings; and individual tours of members’ private gardens. These outings provided a way to connect with other members and enjoy interesting programming in a safe, socially distanced fashion.
Special Places
As with most private clubs, women’s clubs are often as much about the place as the people. As one of the oldest operating clubs in the United States, the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin stands out in that regard. The historic building in which WCW is housed offers a charming ambience that’s an elemental part of the club experience.
“Our members also appreciate the 145-year history of the club and it’s long roster of prominent Milwaukee women who have been members,” said Beck.
Like WCW, the Metropolitan Club also boasts an extraordinary setting. The club offers members one of the city’s most beautiful dining rooms (as well as a bar and informal café), a near-Olympic size pool and a fully equipped gym. It also has a full-service spa and salon for members.
“Few city clubs anywhere have the quality and range of offerings and activities as the Metropolitan Club of San Francisco,” said Ana Muniz-Trboljevac, general manager of the Metropolitan Club. “Inside our spacious Italianate clubhouse, we offer our members and their guests exceptional personal service and a full range of activities to enjoy. The Metropolitan Club is the place to hold a wedding, an anniversary party, a college reunion or any special event in San Francisco.”
The club also offers 18 beautifully appointed overnight rooms for members, male and female guests, and guests of more than 100 reciprocal clubs. Gentlemen staying overnight may use the bar, the dining rooms and the co-ed fitness room. Whereas, the Metropolitan Club is located in the Nob Hill section of San Francisco, its cross-town cousin is more centrally located. Town and Country Club is well-known in San Francisco as a “jewel box” on Union Square. The beautiful brick building is located right in the middle of Union Square, and the club offers a unique combination of extraordinary amenities and outstanding location.
The Chilton Club occupies a stately historic red brick building at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street in Boston’s historic Back Bay district, a short walk from downtown Boston and adjacent to popular attractions such as the Public Garden and the Boston Common. The club building is an important structure in the fabric of the Back Bay, originally built in 1870. The building was remodeled by architect F.L.W. Richardson, son of the famed American architect H.H. Richardson and the husband of one of the club’s founders “as a labor of love.” In 1924, the club purchased the adjacent house at 150 Commonwealth Avenue and joined the two to form the club’s current clubhouse.
A Unique Experience
A women-only club offers a unique sense of comfort for members who want to dine and socialize with, or entertain, other women. That can include friends, relatives or business associates. Members enjoy the camaraderie of socializing, working and volunteering with fellow women. Programs, activities and clubs’ ambience are tailored to the interests and tastes of women. Ana Paula Muniz-Trboljevac agrees. “Our members appreciate the camaraderie and spirit of belonging to a women-only club,” said Muniz-Trboljevac. “They value an elegant, private getaway they can share with their friends and family. Members are enriched by the quality and diversity of talents, professionals, experiences and interests that members bring to the club.” While the focus of these clubs is on the women who make up their membership, the clubs we spoke with welcome male guests. In fact, some clubs have begun to permit male members. The Chilton Club began admitting male members in 1988 when the Commonwealth of Massachusetts changed its liquor laws to prohibit same-sex clubs from holding liquor licenses. Additionally, the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin and The Village Club allow widowers of members to maintain their spouses’ memberships.
Still, it’s apparent when you step into these clubs that these clubs exist for the benefit of their female members.
“The 1915 founders of the Metropolitan Club wanted to have their own oasis,” continued Muniz-Trboljevac. “This remains true today. Members like the feeling of belonging and the opportunity to strengthen bonds with their female friends.”
“At a women-only club, women have complete control,” said Beck. “They are the club leaders, board members, community chairs and policy makers.” Cynthia Enanoria of Town & Country Club believes that the role of women-only clubs in today’s world is essential. “While the profile of our current membership reflects the societal changes in our world, there is still a very human need to interact with each other,” said Enanoria. “For example, it is true that most of the original members of the club did not work full-time, but today most members have careers. Still, our members are very interested in gathering to socialize and attend fascinating events. In fact, their interests have widened considerably from a traditional tea and book discussion to encompass global matters such as human trafficking, social media, cutting edge medical advances and finance.”
When asked to explain the most important benefit of belonging to a women’s-only club, Muniz-Trboljevac didn’t hesitate: “The culture here is more elegant, refined and graceful,” she said. “It is a place where women thrive and grow. Women’s leadership develops here.”
Bill Smith is a principal at Smith Phillips Strategic Communications, a media firm that consults with NCA. He is also a member of Concord Country Club in Concord, N.H. He can be reached at [email protected].
“Think of these single sex clubs as the place where you want to go with your best friend,” said Enanoria. “We all spend time with our significant others but coming to the club to enjoy time with other women enhances our lives in other ways.”
Another storied club is the Chilton Club, which was founded in 1910 in Boston’s scenic Back Bay neighborhood by 10 prom- inent Boston ladies. The founders wanted a club in Boston, patterned on the Colony Club in New York, that was more