The New York herald., 1921-04-14
PRINCETON PLANS
$5OO,OOO CLUB
Committee Urges Purchase
of 3 Houses at Park Ave.
and 39th Street.
TO RAZE ONE BUILDING
Structure Taking Its Place
Will Have Squash Courts
and Gymnasium.
SOCIAL MERGER TO END
Sharing of Yale Clubhouse
Has Been Marked by Cor
dial Comradeship.
SOCIAL MERGER TO END

Officers and council OF the Princeton
Club Of New York have decided TO dis
solve the social merger with the Yale
Club as soon as approval is given for
sSas purchase of clubhouse property
in Park avenue for about 100000.
Relations between the two clubs
have continued most cordial, and there
Is mutual regret that for several rea-
sons the merger must end, but the
conditions that made 1t necessary q
few years ago no longer exist. There
has always been a fine spirit existing
between the Yale and Princeton grad
yates in the sharing OF the Yale CLUB
house at Vanderbilt avenue and Forty
fourth street. but It Is no surprise that
the two family arrangement Is 10 end.
The cooperative housing was merely
a measure resorted to as a war
economy.
1t is understood that the Princeton
Clubs committee which was appointed
10 arrange for a new clubhouse has taken
an option on the property at the north-
west corner of Park avenue and thirty. |.
ninth street, which has a frontage OF
about eighty-one feet on the avenue and
los feet on East Thrty-ninth street. the
rear strip of twenty-five feet on that
street having a depth of 100 feet. This
property. it is said. may be purchased
for little under s50O.0co.
Three Residences on Plot.
On the property are two fine residences
fronting on Park avenue and four story
brownstone residence twenty-five rect
wide. fronting on Thirty-ninth street and
occupying the lot IS by 100 feet at the
rear Of the plot II is proposed that the
two residences occupying the corner OF
Park avenue and Thirty-ninth street be
utilized as the main clubhouse. with as
few alterations as posshible, and that the
brownstone dwelling In the rear, fronting
on Thirty-ninth street, be torn down and
that there be erected in its place fire-
proof building connected with the main
clubhouse by flreproof self-closing doors.
1t is planned that this new building
shall contain billiard rooms. dressing
rooms shower baths. four squash courts.
a gymnasium and four or five stories OF
additional bedrooms. so that the club
would have available for use by its MEM
bers about seventy bedrooms, including
those In the corner houses.
A meeting OF the Princeton Club MEM
bers will be held in the Yaye-Princeton
Club on the night of April 22 to act
on the committees recommendations.
which include an authorization to sell
the property at the northeast corner or
Fifty-eighth street and Park avenue.
owned by the Princeton Club. This
property was purchased several years
ago with the idea Of erecting on It
club house, but the cost of building ad-
vanced so rapidly that the club decided
TO postpone operations.
Club House Had Been Designed.
II had been hoped that by this time
the cost of construction would have
been reduced so materially that Il would
have been advisable for the club to build
on its own property. A handsome club
had been designed and everything had
been made ready 20 build as soon as
the opportune time arrived. but inves-
tigation has shown that 10 erect the
house would require at least more than
$500. 900 in excess OF the clubs re-
sources.
The committee has decided that II
would be inadvisable to ask the club
members to advance the additional sum.
particularly in view of the financial
needs of Princeton University. which
depends on the alumni to meet her
customary annual deficit.
The Princeton Club OF New York was
Incorporated about twenty-five years
ago. Its first club house was the old
Vanderbilt mansion at the southwest
corner of Park avenue and Thirty
fourth street. Just before this man
sion was razed to make way for the
Hotel Vanderbilt. the Princeton Club
leased the Stanford White residence
and an adjoining dwelling in Gramercy
Park North. There the club remained
until the social merger with the Yale
Club. which was the first affair Of
the kind In the club life of New York
and which will terminate soon with
the Yale and Princeton members. almost
shedding tears at leaving one another.