The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-03
Vigorous Protest by Pacific
Union Members Against
Moving.
The Progressive Faction Will
Stand Firm for the Van
Ness Avenue Site.
House and Surroundings in Keeping
With the Wealth and Taste of
the Institution Desired.

meeting of members held last Tuesday
evening to buy the land on the northeast
corner OF Bush street and Van Ness
| avenue and erect thereon a spacious build
| ing for the exclusive use of the club. Four
per cent twenty-year bonds to the amount
| of $250,000 have been taken by member
| OF the club. The lot, 12O feet on the ave-
nue. and 127 ieet on Bush street, will cost
SIS, 000 The estimated cost of the build
ing is $3.50 600. President Hopkins has
! been auth orized by resolution of the men,
bers to appoint building committee to
consult architects and secure plans for
the proposed edifice.
While the proposition to move the club
from its present home on Union square
has been discussed for months very many
of the active mem pers who gid not favor
the plan fancied that the money required
would not be raised by bond subscriptions.
To them the action of the meeting in de-
Gliding in favor of the move was sur
prise, although decisive majority of the
120 members attending supported the en-
terprise.
In the club there is strong progressive
element composed of young men who
have modern notions of clu advancement
They are REINFORCED by capitalists and
others of advanced years and experien ce
who hold firmly to the opinion that the
club should be something more than a
downtown lounging and dining establish
ment. They maintain that the Pacific
Union, representing so much wealth and
embracing within its mem bership so many
of the influential merchants, bankers and
professional men of the City, should get
in line with the advanced clubs OF Lon
don, New York and Boston and build a
house of its own. They do not regard it
as good form or good policy to live longer
in rented house downtown, but assert
that the true line of club development in
style worthy of San Francisco demands
the club ownership and occupancy OF
fine building on Van Ness avenue. The
decision in favor of buying the land on
triumph for the up-to-date element of the
institution.
There is another element in the club
which was very active yesterday. Its
representatives held frequent conferences
during the day with members who did
not attend the meeting Tuesday evening,
The leaders of the non-progressive faction
assert that the location OF the clubhouse
on the avenue will disrupt the organiza-
ton. They contend that the voice of the
majority has not been expressed and that
sh ould the proposed plan OF departure be
executed half of the members would re-
main and occupy the house on Union
square.
One member, who is firmly opposed to
moving, said yesterday: you can be
sure that most vigorous protest against
the move will be filed and every effort
will be exerted to cause the club to reverse
its action"
In other clubs the new departure of the
Pacific Union is regarded as proper step.
1t is thought to be only question of time
when the Bohemian Club will be COM
PEELED to abandon its quarters on Grant
avenue and Post street for home farther
west near the fine residence quarter. A
ciubman who has made q study OF the
subject in other cities said "Clubs are
now divided into two classes-the social
club and the lunch club. The lunch club
will always be near the business center of
the city, easily accessible to its mem bers.
The social club, with some pretensions to
permanency and with ideas of accumulate
ing books, pictures, art treasures and club
property generally. cannot thrive in a
| purely commercial atmosphere. A club
desiring to attain a certain degree of
grandeur and exclusiveness must be some
| thing more than an clearinghouse. Club
development in all the great cities proves
| the correctness of this proposition. The
Pacific u Mon has wealth, aud can afford
| Van Ness avenue and occupies beautiful
mansion of its own. men of letters, posi-.
ton and of wealth will give it substantial
support. In the first instance the Cosmos
and Bohemian clubs may gain some new
members from the Pacific Union, but the
new mem bership will add nothing but
| revenue to the restaurant