The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-07-27
Formal Opening of the
Birmingham Country Club


If one wanted gaiety and life it was to
be found at the Country club last night.
he formal opening of the new club house
took place from to u o'clock. The wealth
er meant death to summer toilettes, and
tennis and golf were not to be thought of.
The coachmen were first ordered out, and
then in, and society was in quite a tiutter
for an hour. But with the elements
against an suspicious opening, the earlier
part of the evening the weather cleared Ia
ter, and society openly declared as the
traps fiuttered along the country roads
that it was better late than never, and
indeed the very latest guest was welcomed
cordially by the club governors.
1t was pTe-eminently the smartest gath
ering of midsummer, and the club govern
ors have every reason to be proud of the
successful opening of their elegant club
house.
The location of the club is delightful and
picturesque. One can either drive out
Twenty-fourth street or one can go out by
Nineteenth street and through North High
lands. The North Birmingham trolley car
line runs quite near the club grounds,
which adjoin North Birmingham park.
The Country club was organized last au-
tumn. and work on the club house was
begun in May. The building is colonial IN
design, and with the series of white col
umns which support the broad balconies
the house at once typihes country PERIOD
of the south, when the trend of everything
was colonial.
The members of the club are men OF
wealth and position, and they intend to
make 1t one of the most elegant clubs In
the south.
The arrangement of the club house could
not possibly be improved upon, and the
governors were congratulated by every one
upon the beautiful plan of the building, ana
the charming furnishings.
The reception rooms are at one end, and
at the other are the cafe and smoking
rooms Between the two is the ball room'
which is sixty by fifty feet. The veranda,
which is sixteen feet wide, encircles the
building. The broad entrance steps are on
the right, and the porte gachere Is directly
in front of the main entrance. At either
end of the ball room are the Dutch fire.
places in red brick. The ceiling is twenty
feet high and exquistely paneled. Colonial
columns extend from either side of the
fireplace to the ceiling, and arched door
ways lead from the ball room to the pic
turesque balconies outside. The reception
room is charmingly furnished in willow, the
couches and chairs giving a delicately cool
and attractive appearance. The floors are
covered with blue and white mating, and
the breezes stir the whitest and sheerest of
window draperies. Numberless palms and
blossoms of the season decorated the apart
charming or attractive place. The furnish
ings of the cafe and smoking rooms on the
opposite side were not quite complete, but
the handsome buffet told the story OF the
brilliant toasts to be drunk under the roof
of the Country club.
The ball room, with its paneled ceiling,
lighted by innumerable incandescent lights,
was further beautified by rows of colored
lanterns, which were suspended entirely
across the apartment. When ones trap
lights from the balcony flashed welcome,
and the open ball room scene was one that
beggared all description. The floral deco
rations were elaborate, and were done by
Lindsay in compliment to the Country
season, smilax and palms, were used in
great profusion. An orchestra on the bal
cony played during the entire evening, and
after the formal reception a cotilion was
danced in the beautiful ball room. A din
ner preceded the cotillion.