Overcast  23 °F Tuesday February 9, 2010
Weekly Poll
City May 27, 2009 2:08 PM
My Favorite Buildings: 20th Century Club
My Favorite Buildings: 20th Century Club STEEL May 27, 2009 2:08 PM Comments: 13

My teaser post from yesterday turned out to be not such a secret garden after all.  The very first commenter nailed it as the rear courtyard of the E.B. Green-designed Twentieth Century Club, located in Allentown on Delaware Avenue.   The Twentieth Century Club is another of Green's many masterpieces and is easily one of Buffalo's most refined buildings.  The Delaware Avenue face is a meticulously detailed yet reserved Italian Renaissance Palazzo style building.  This side of the building was constructed in front of the original clubhouse which was a converted church.  The church was quickly demolished in favor of an expansion to the rear.  The rear section includes the wonderful secluded garden and is rendered in a picturesque spanish  style architecture. 

The club was founded by women as a woman's social organization in the late 1800's. It was an out-growth of a Buffalo Seminary graduates group.  One history I found noted that it was the first woman's social club in the country.  It was located on the most prestigious stretch of Buffalo's most exclusive street and catered to woman of Buffalo's wealthiest families. It was common until very recently for women and men to socialize separately in separate clubs such as this.  It was just a few years ago that the uber-exclusive Buffalo Club allowed women to enter their building through the front door.

21st cent club.jpeg

I was given a tour of the Twentieth Century Club many years ago by a family acquaintance who was the maintenance custodian at the time.  I vaguely remember it as a very old dark place but still very beautiful leaning toward the exotic. Imagine walking into an aging silent film star's mansion - that is what it was like.  I believe that it has undergone  extensive interior and exterior renovations in recent years and have heard that the interior is extraordinary. 

The building had a brush with disaster 2 times in the last 4 decades.  A fire destroyed the original (extremely beautiful in its own right) Temple Beth Zion building, which stood adjacent to the club on the north side.  That building was demolished after the fire.  The Temple moved further up Delaware to a new landmark structure.  An undistinguished building stands as its replacement adjacent to the Twentieth Century Club.  Another disastrous fire destroyed the elegant mansion directly to the south of the club about 10 years ago.  All that was left of that building was three walls. Thankfully, through great foresight, those walls were saved and the building has been restored keeping an important part of Delaware Avenue intact.

Here are a few links for those interested in more information:

Twentieth Century Club history 

Buffalo Spree Archive story 

History of the Woman's Club Movement in America 

 

Interior image courtesy of Mike Argento of Argento Photography.  Check out their web site.  The site has images of several weddings illustrating their unique take on such a special event.

Favorite this post
Comments & Conversation

13 Comments

| Leave a comment

How does one become a member of this club? Or maybe the question should be would anyone want to be a member of this club?

Reply

Why would you ask that Question Waiter?

Reply

Apparently he didn't know how familiar it would be to so many of us. Like others have indicated, they have been there for social occasions.

Reply

Steel, the first person got it wrong, they called it the 21st Century Club.

Reply

I only ask because I want to know how to host an event there. Do they only host member events, or is it like some country clubs that host events for non-members as well?

Reply

We were there way many years ago as guests at a wedding reception.
.
We were not members. My husband was friends with the member's son. The son was sooo proud of the place and that his dad was a member--he really hyped it up and showed the place off to us.
.
As far as members only entitled to use of the place, apparentl a person had to only know a member way back then.
.
I remember that the wedding couple were someone the member, his son (and my husband) knew as friends but were not related to--meaning the 20th Century Club was not tightly exclusive.
.
I was impressed back then because the place was heavily ornately interesting, which I expect is still pretty much intact judging by the top ballroom picture.

Reply

Waiter,

I was talking about your second question. It is obvious people want to be members. I was wondering why you asked that.


HF,

You are right the first person is hereby disqualified from the prize

Reply

I had the pleasure of having my wedding reception here about 10 years ago. As we not members we had to be sponsored by a member. Our sponser happened to be a friend of a family friend.......and so on. The building is beautiful and the whole operation is a class act.

Reply

Is there a current website/information out there that describes how someone can become a member? Tx.

Reply

I could not find a web site

Reply

just for the record , the buffalo club phased out the ladie's entrance in 1988. it was adjacent to the men's entrance on the north side of the bldg. so the men entered through a "side door " as well . the entrance on delaware is seldon if ever used anymore . it was the main entrance to the club prior to the mid 50's when the north addition was built for the men , the ladie's used trinity entrance when the ladie's dining room was on the first floor back then .i know that as fact , i worked there nearly 20 years

Reply

My fiance and I are trying to find a new venue for our wedding reception in August 2010, due to the Statler issues. We love the clasic look the Statler has, but looks like the will be no more. We also love the 20th Century Club. Can anyone help with how we might be able to book our reception at the 20th Century Club?? It is beautiful and we would love to have our special day there... Thanks.

Reply

Try giving them a jingle, at 884-0578. Would love to know how it turns out. Congrats and best wishes.

Reply

Leave a comment