The Penn Club of Philadelphia

Last updated
The Penn Club's coat of arms The Penn Club.jpeg
The Penn Club's coat of arms

The Penn Club is a private social club in Philadelphia. It was organized on March 18, 1875, with a mission to heighten awareness of arts and culture at the time of the Centennial Exposition.

Contents

History

With an original home on 8th and Locusts streets in Philadelphia, the Club came to existence after the American Civil War and prior to the Centennial Exhibition. The organizers were among those whose characters had been formed during the period of the war and that of the reconstruction that followed. Morton McMichael, Jr. made the lease of 720 Locust Street with Horace Howard Furness. James P. Sims arranged the scheme of decoration and designed the mantel upon which McMichael and Wharton Barker placed the statue of William Penn, modeled in plaster by Muller. Henry Armitt Brown hung the picture said to represent William Penn. The membership was limited to 200.

The first president of the Club was Wharton Barker (1846–1921), who was a prominent abolitionist and president of the Philadelphia Stock Exchange. He was also one of the original fifty members who founded the Union Club, which later became the Union League of Philadelphia.

Purpose

The intention of the Club is expressed in its charter:

The purposes for which the Corporation is formed are the association of authors, artists, men of science and the learned professions, and amateurs of music, letters, and the fine arts; and by receptions given to men or women distinguished in art, literature, science, or politics, and other kindred means, to promote social intercourse among its members.

The Penn Club continues to this day, and meets in Center City, Philadelphia. The club is named for William Penn, and has no historical or current association with the University of Pennsylvania. The club's motto is: "Dum Clavum Teneam", which is taken from the Penn family's coat of arms.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pennsylvania</span> Private university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

The University of Pennsylvania is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of nine colonial colleges and was chartered prior to the U.S. Declaration of Independence when Benjamin Franklin, the university's founder and first president, advocated for an educational institution that trained leaders in academia, commerce, and public service. Penn identifies as the fourth oldest institution of higher education in the United States, though this representation is challenged by other universities, as Franklin first convened the board of trustees in 1749, arguably making it the fifth oldest institution of higher education in the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Furness</span> American architect

Frank Heyling Furness was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago-based architect Louis Sullivan. Furness also received a Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War.

Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singing members from the undergraduate and graduate populations of the University of Pennsylvania; individuals from the Penn community are also called upon to fill roles in the band and technical staff when the Club puts on theatrical productions. The club, known for its eclectic mix of Penn standards, Broadway classics, classical favorites, and pop hits, has traveled to over 40 countries and territories on five continents. After directing the Glee Club for 44 years, Bruce Montgomery stepped down as director in 2000 and was replaced by former Glee Club member C. Erik Nordgren. After 15 years of dedicated service to the group, Nordgren stepped down and was succeeded by Joshua Glassman. After three years at the podium Joshua Glassman stepped down, passing the baton to Club alumnus Daniel Carsello. As of April 9, 2021, the Penn Glee Club accepts singers of all genders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center City, Philadelphia</span> Neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Center City includes the central business district and central neighborhoods of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It comprises the area that made up the City of Philadelphia prior to the Act of Consolidation, 1854, which extended the city borders to be coterminous with Philadelphia County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Library Company of Philadelphia</span> Library in Pennsylvania founded by Benjamin Franklin

The Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) is a non-profit organization based on Locust Street in Center City Philadelphia. Founded as a library in 1731 by Benjamin Franklin, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of historically valuable manuscripts and printed material in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pennsylvania Press</span> Books publisher

The University of Pennsylvania Press, also known as Penn Press, is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art (PMSIA), also referred to as the School of Applied Art, was a museum and teaching institution which later split into the Philadelphia Museum of Art and University of the Arts. It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on February 26, 1876 in response to the Centennial International Exhibition held in Philadelphia that year.

University of Pennsylvania student life includes numerous events and social gatherings around campus, with some sponsored by the college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science</span> Engineering school of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science is the undergraduate and graduate engineering school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia. The school offers programs that emphasize hands-on study of engineering fundamentals while encouraging students to leverage the educational offerings of the broader University. Engineering students can also take advantage of research opportunities through interactions with Penn’s School of Medicine, School of Arts and Sciences, and the Wharton School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Class of 1923 Arena</span>

The Class of 1923 Arena is the skating rink of the University of Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles M. Autenrieth</span> American architect

Charles M. Autenrieth (1828–1906) was an American architect whose practice was centered in Philadelphia. From 1852 to 1902, he was in partnership with Edward Collins, and thereafter with his son, Charles M. Autenrieth, Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bachelors Barge Club</span>

Bachelors Barge Club is an amateur rowing club located at #6 Boathouse Row in the historic Boathouse Row of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest continuously operating boathouse in the United States. It went through renovations as part of the "Light Boathouse Row" initiative, in which new LED lights were fitted to each of the boathouses. Bachelors Barge Club is currently home to several programs, including the Conestoga High School Crew Team, and the Drexel University Crew Team, among several others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics</span>

The Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) is the center for health services research, health policy, and health care management education at the University of Pennsylvania. It is based in the Colonial Penn Center on Locust Walk, at the heart of Penn's campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philadelphia Club</span> City club in the United States

Philadelphia Club was founded in 1834 and is located at 13th and Walnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia. It is the oldest city club in the United States and one of the oldest gentlemen's clubs. Notable members have included George Meade, Owen Wister, and many members of the Du Pont and Biddle families.

Clarence Howard Clark Sr. was a banker, land owner, and developer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ten years after his death, The New York Times called him one of the city's "most prominent men of his day."

Robert Rhodes McGoodwin was an American architect and educator, best known for his suburban houses in the Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy sections of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He taught at University of Pennsylvania from 1910 to 1924, and served as a trustee of its School of Fine Arts from 1925 to 1959. McGoodwin was active in the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, serving as its president in 1943.

Clarence Clark Zantzinger (1872-1954) was an architect and public servant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The University of Pennsylvania College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is the oldest undergraduate college at the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League university, situated on the university's main campus in University City, Philadelphia. The college traces its roots to the establishment of a secondary school known as Unnamed Charity School in 1740. In 1749, Benjamin Franklin and twenty-one leading citizens of Philadelphia officially founded a secondary school named Academy of Philadelphia. In 1755, the secondary school was expanded to include a collegiate division known as College of Philadelphia. The secondary and collegiate institutions were known collectively as The academy and College of Philadelphia. The college received its charter from Thomas Penn and Richard Penn. Penn CAS is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-oldest chartered college in the United States.

References

39°56′49″N75°09′15″W / 39.94688°N 75.15412°W / 39.94688; -75.15412