Guide to the Records of the Press Club of Pittsburgh, 1891-1988 (bulk 1955-1969)
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Records of the Press Club of Pittsburgh
- Creator
- Pittsburgh Press Club
- Collection Number
- MSS#263
- Extent
- .75 cubic feet (2 boxes)
- Date
- 1891-1988
- Date
- 1955-1969
- Abstract
- The Pittsburgh Press Club, the world's oldest chartered press club, was founded on January 29, 1881, by several Pittsburgh newspapermen, who, in spite of limited resources, stated an altruistic aim "to take care of newspapermen of inadequate means who were stricken with illness and to see that those who died were decently buried." These records include dining room wine lists and menus, programs, correspondence, news clippings, photographs, and other sundry items.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History of the Press Club of Pittsburgh (1881-1990)
The Pittsburgh Press Club, the world's oldest chartered press club, was founded on January 29, 1881, by several Pittsburgh newspapermen, who, in spite of limited resources, stated an altruistic aim "to take care of newspapermen of inadequate means who were stricken with illness and to see that those who died were decently buried." Originally situated on the third floor of a building at 408 Smithfield Street, the Club, soon burdened by financial problems, had to give up this location in 1884 and existed without headquarters for one year. When financial conditions improved, the members applied for incorporation and acquired a charter on March 17, 1885. Mr. James Mill became the first president, and Colonel Thomas J. Keenan, the first secretary. Through the years, the Club experienced periods of good fortune and times of hardship, one of the worst of which occurred in the Depression Years of the 1930s when declining membership and a decrease of income resulted in a 19-year closing. Eventually, in 1955, during the tenure of Joe Shuman as managing editor, the Club reopened, this time on the second floor of the Sherwyn Hotel.
The Club gradually expanded its roster to include members of the Pittsburgh business community. It also successfully operated a dining room and featured a popular event known as the "Newsmaker Luncheon," attended by experts and personalities from various areas. The years following the second opening proved so profitable that in October, 1961, the Club, in need of larger quarters, purchased a $55,000 building bounded by Sixth and Oliver Avenues and Wood Street where it occupied a penthouse equipped with a main dining room, a banquet room, private dining rooms, and areas for press conferences. On the walls, a collection of authentic newspaper front pages, including an 1842, volume I, edition of the Pittsburgh Post, an 1861 edition of the Pittsburgh Daily Evening Gazette with Civil War news, and the April 16, 1865 Pittsburgh Commercial report of the assassination of President Lincoln, provided a visual outline of national and Pittsburgh history.
The prosperous times of the Club declined, however, in the early 1980s when a three-month strike resulted in a serious decrease in membership from 3,000 to about 1,500. Other problems, such as reduced funding for advertising and public relations, followed. In an emergency meeting in February 1981, the Club officials discussed possible solutions to the problem of a $230,000 deficit and a continuing decline in membership. The following month, the Club applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for reorganization. In an effort to pay creditors, the Club officials increased dues, decreased staff, sold some equipment, and moved from the Sixth Avenue penthouse to modest quarters in the Clark Building mezzanine. Finally, unable to meet the payroll and workman's compensation and insurance, the Board members, on November 28, 1990, announced the final closing of the Club, an event to be marked by a "going away" party for the remaining 850 members.
Scope and Content Notes
These records include dining room wine lists and menus, programs, correspondence, news clippings, photographs, and other sundry items. The largest portion of the collection relates to the dining facilities of the Club. Three leather-bound folders and several cards provide an extensive listing of available wines, and 30 menus give information about the food. Some of the menus also contain a historical footnote, which gives a brief sketch of the history of the Club from its inception to the move to its penthouse quarters. A certificate in Recognition of Excellence of Achievement for Dinner Menu, granted on January 15, 1973, by the Printing Industry Association acknowledges the attractive appearance of the Club menus. Another folder contains mementos of Club-sponsored social events, among which are a ticket to the Newsmakers Dinner, a program for the Gridiron Show, and playbills for the Nixon and Alvin theaters. A booklet printed for a testimonial banquet on November 3, 1973, commemorating Cy Hungerford's 70 years of service as a newspaper cartoonist, contains a picture of Hungerford, several of his cartoons, an interview, and a list of his awards.
Club correspondence, from 1891 to 1988, is minimal, as are news clippings, from 1915 to 1987. The early news items comment on Club openings and celebrations; the later ones focus on the financial problems of the Club. The only record of the meetings of the Board of Directors is a one-page description of a meeting held August 9, 1947. Among the miscellaneous items are several small photographs of prominent newsmen, a number of announcements of the reactivation of the Club and dining room at the Sherwyn Hotel, one copy of the Press Club Newsletter, and a news summary printed by the Club during a 12-day newspaper blackout during a strike. Other miscellaneous items include a cartoon postcard from the London Press Club and a program of a meeting of the Pittsburgh Press Club. The only financial references are a statement from Mellon National Bank and a memorandum booklet containing a one-page list of contributors to the Club by newspaper publishers.
Arrangement
The Pittsburgh Press Club records are housed in two archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in one accession in 1991.
Acc.# 1991.0142 Purchase from John Shulman (Records).
Preferred Citation
Records of the Press Club of Pittsburgh, 1891-1988 (bulk 1955-1969), MSS #263, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Dorothy Kish and Craig Moore on June 15, 1997.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on August 21, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Pittsburgh Press Club
- Beazell, W.P.
- Hungerford, Cy
- Keenan, Thomas J.
- McIlwain, W. Lee
- Muller, George F.<
- Wilson, Erasmus, 1842-1922
- Clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Menus -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- Press -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh