The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-11-04
THE BRITISH CLUB.
Historical Sketch Of the
Society.
Forty Years Changes Within
And WithOut.-TheN New
Building.

rOrCy years iSO W. SOOPOI, 0"AAS0
T. Chapman, T. H. Cooper, J. X.
Dallison, H. Fosbrooke, w. L. Cor
don, G. Gordon Hopkins, Thomas
Harding, John Janion, Robt. Moffat,
Stesen Spencer, and VIM. Webster
organized the British Club. Of these
twelve original members not one re-
mains, and all have passed from the
horizon of Honolulu. Some of them
have left a name in the humble re-
| cords of Hawaii, but most of them are
| clean forgotten here, their names only
being known to the old residents,
whose memories go back into the
| forties or fifties. The Hon A. S.
CIeghorn joined the club in 1856, and
he is the single survivor from that
early period.
If the founders of the Association
have passed away, their deeds live
after them, and the club lives and
f1ourishes. 1t has grown steadily in
numbers and wealth until now. It
has moved into spacious and hand
some quarters, which were taken pos
session of last week.
Tho first building occupied by the
British Club was the small house on
Alakea street formerly occupied by
the Brickwood family. About 1864
| the premises on Union lane were ac-
quired, to which was added, in 1878,
! the property on Alakea street on
which B. F. Bowles used to live. After
this acquisition was made the new
building was used as mess-room and
the old one as billiard and reading
room, etc. At last, in the year of our
Lord 1891, the old buildings were de-
molished and the present fine struc-
ture erected.
On the 18th of March, 1879, char
ter was issued to the club, bearing the
signature of Saml. G.. Wilder, the then
Minister of the Interior, and the
society became corporation, with a
capital stock of 120 shares of the par
value of $50 each and the privilege of
| increasing the capitalization to the
amount of $4,000. Part of this in
creased issue has now been made and
the proceeds applied to the payments
on the new building and furniture.
The club now has a membership of
70. It's name is merely reminis-
cence of it's pastor it is no longer
British but cosmopolitan. The names
of Germans, Englishmen, Americans
and persons of other rationale
ties still, are found on it's rolls. The
dues of non-shareholding members
are 81 monthly, of shareholders So
only, each class being of course enti-
tied to jail the privileges of the club.
The new club building is now fin
ished and in use, though work on
the fence and sidewalk is still in pro-
gress. The contractor was E. B.
Thomas and it was built from de-
signs by J. A. Palmer. 1t is entered
through a broad hallway with large
rooms on each side. There are six
main rooms besides kitchen and pam
try, lavatories and bath rooms. Each
member has the use of locker, of
which there are 96. All parts of the
building are lighted by electricity, 81
lamps furnishing all that is required.
The usual telephones and call bell
for one of the hack companies are
among the numerous conveniences.
To the right of the lower hall is the
billiard room with two tables and a
blank space soon to be filled by
third. On the other side is the ''his-
torical room,n adorned with pictures
of George Washington, Wellington,
Palmerston, Nelson, and others, be-
SIDES Hawaiian Kings ana queens. In
this room members sit and smoke,
chat and read.
Upstairs are the handsomely fur
nished parlor, the large dining room
and two smaller rooms connected by
folding doors, which serve for private
dinners and other purposes. Doors
from the parlor open out upon the
deep upper veranda, so feet long by II
wide, which is breezy and inviting.
The parlor is 24x40 feet and opens, by
large doors, into the dining room,
which is still larger-24x46 feet. The
two rooms offer together a splendid
floor for dance, and the visitor on
seeing them instinctively exclaims,
"When is the British Club going to
entertain its fair friends by doing
honor to the dancing Muse?" No
petticoats wanted here" was the dis
couraging answer to the reporters
gentle hint.
The British Club seems to be enter
ing upon new lease of life as it takes
possession of its new quarters. It is
useful organization, the only one of
its kind in Honolulu which has sur
vlved the shocks of time, and it has
the CrnnproI oo0dwi1l