The Hasty Pudding Club, often referred to simply as the Pudding, is a social club at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, and one of three sub-organizations that comprise the Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The current clubhouse was designed by Peabody and Stearns and was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on January 9, 1978. The year of founding for the club is usually given as 1795. The Pudding claims to be the oldest collegiate

social club A social club or social organization may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation or activity with in an organizational association known as a Club (organization), club. Exampl ...

in the United States. Historically, the club has been noted for its "prestigious" reputation and viewed as "the first step towards

final club Harvard College has several types of social clubs. These are split between coeducational clubs recognized by the college, and unrecognized single-sex clubs which were subject to College sanctions in the past. The Hasty Pudding Club holds claim ...

membership." An 1870 travel book listed the Hasty Pudding Club and the

Porcellian Club The Porcellian Club is an all-male Officially unrecognized Harvard College social clubs, final club at Harvard University, colloquially known as the Porc or the P.C. Its founding is traditionally dated to either 1791, when a group began meetin ...

as "the two lions of Harvard." In 2012, they merged to form The Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. Hasty Pudding Club Stage

History

The society was founded on September 1, 1795, by 21 juniors in the room of Nymphas Hatch. The founding undergraduates came together "to cherish feelings of friendship and patriotism." Among the co-founders was John Collins Warren. The club is named for hasty pudding, a traditional English dish popular at that time in America that the founding members ate at their first meeting. Each week two members, chosen in alphabetical order, had to provide a pot of hasty pudding for the club to enjoy. Originally, the club engaged in holding mock trials, which became more elaborate over time. This culminated in a member, Lemuel Hayward, secretly planning to stage a musical on the night he was to host the club's meeting. On December 13, 1844, Hayward and other members staged '' Bombastes Furioso'' in room 11 of Hollis Hall, which began the Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Throughout its history, the Hasty Pudding Club has absorbed other organizations. In 1924, the Club absorbed the Institute of 1770, D.K.E, which was established in 1770. In 2012, the Hasty Pudding Club, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, and The Harvard Krokodiloes merged into a single entity: The Hasty Pudding - Institute of 1770. The Pudding claims to be the oldest collegiate

in the United States.

Symbols

The club's motto, ''Concordia Discors'' (discordant harmony), derives from the epistles of the Latin poet

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 BC – 27 November 8 BC), Suetonius, Life of Horace commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). Th ...

. Its symbol is the pudding pot. It was named for the hasty pudding, a porridge made from molasses and cornmeal, that its founding members ate at each meeting.

Clubhouse

The current clubhouse is located at 45 Dunster Street in Cambridge. It was designed in 1888 by Peabody and Stearns. It contains rooms with specific purposes—such as ''The Arena,'' the club's game room, which has no windows or openings to the outside. It was placed on the

on January 9, 1978.

Membership

The Hasty Pudding Club is coed and has members from all four years. Students gain membership in the club by attending a series of lunches, cocktail parties, and other gatherings—which are referred to as the ''punch process.''

Activities

The club holds its social activities in a clubhouse near

Harvard Square Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue (Boston), Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street (Cambridge, Massachusetts), Brattle Street and John F. Kennedy Street near the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, C ...

. These include weekly Members' Nights, dinner and cocktail parties, as well as its elaborate theme parties, such as ''Leather and Lace''.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts Clubs and societies in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard Square National Register of Historic Places in Cambridge, Massachusetts 1795 establishments in the United States Organizations established in 1795 Local fraternities and sororities Student organizations in the United States Harvard College social clubs