Saturn Club is a private social club, founded in 1885, in Buffalo in

Erie County, New York Erie County is a county along the shore of Lake Erie in western New York (state), New York State. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the population was 954,236. However, in the 2023 census, the Erie County population was 946,147 ...

that currently operates out of an

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 ...

-listed building at 977 Delaware Ave. in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

History

In 1885, The Saturn Club was founded by thirteen young men who wanted to congregate in a less formal setting than their father's traditional clubs. The first three founders were: Carlton Sprague, William F. Kip, and Francis Almy. They recruited the ten others including John B. Olmsted and Ansley Wilcox. They first congregated on Saturdays, hence the name, to socialize and play cards. Dues were a month, and the initiation fee was a chair. With a nod to the many " University Clubs" of the time, Saturn's founders patterned their board of directors after that of a small college, including: *Faculty *Dean *Registrar *Bursar Initially, the members met in a house owned by Sprague's grandfather but by 1886, the members decided to rent three rooms at the rear of a dwelling at 640 Main Street. In 1887, they moved to another rented house, a small Second Empire style home at 331 Delaware Avenue, before relocating to a larger,

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

cottage at 393 Delaware Avenue, opposite the Buffalo Club. In 1889, the club and its 150 members formally incorporated in Erie County and decided to construct their own building. By February, the directors had purchased a lot, 417 Delaware Avenue, at the southeast corner of Delaware Avenue and Edward Streets, not far from the Buffalo Club. On this site, they constructed a three-story brick building, designed by Herbert C Burdett of the Buffalo firm of Marling & Burdett. The building was dedicated on December 13, 1890. Beginning in the 1890s, the club added

baseball game Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

lecture A lecture (from ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history, background, theo ...

s, costume balls, and

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

shows to the club's programming. A library was initiated and debates were held on the important issues of the time. These debates often included participation with other area clubs, including the Buffalo Club, the University Club, and the Garret Club. In 1900, then Gov.

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

visited and had dinner at the club during his visit to Buffalo. In 1985, women were officially admitted as full members, however, in the immediate years preceding the change, women had full use of the club, through a relationship with the Garret Club, as well as through their spouses or other connections.

1922 building

In December 1920, only 30 years after the original buildings dedication, a new building committee suggested selling the existing clubhouse and erecting a new building elsewhere. Club member Duane Lyman, of Bley & Lyman, was asked to develop new plans for a clubhouse along with Ralph Plumb, a club member. The club purchased property at 977 Delaware Avenue and approved Lyman's plans for the present day Tudor style building, by February 1921. On October 21, 1921, the cornerstone of the new building was laid and exactly one year later, on October 21, 1922, the clubhouse was dedicated. The

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture, also known as mock Tudor in the UK, first manifested in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture, in rea ...

structure featured an enclosed open courtyard. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying eight photographs''
/ref> By completion, the project ended up totaling . The building was listed on the

in 2005.

Renovations

In 2002, the club underwent a $1 million () renovation that added two squash courts as well as general upgrades to its athletic facilities. The Saturn Club already had one international regulation doubles court and two singles courts. The new courts allow the club to host competitions. The other renovation work includes improvements to both the men's and women's locker rooms and the addition of exercise equipment. Hamilton Houston Lownie Architects, PC designed the additions and Integrated Realty & Development Corp. served as construction manager. In 2014, the interior was remodeled by Michael Donnelly Interiors and focused on two rooms: The Delaware Room and The Red Room. The Red Room features a fireplace and is accented by dark wood paneling along with a rich red covering. Panel draperies with 12-inch-wide, red fabric bands were added to frame the leaded windows. New furniture,

chandelier A chandelier () is an ornamental lighting device, typically with spreading branched supports for multiple lights, designed to be hung from the ceiling. Chandeliers are often ornate, and they were originally designed to hold candles, but now inca ...

covers and brown paisley carpeting with a red background were also added. The Delaware Room has a more clean look showcasing the oversized historic wall panels that depict seaside life. The fabrics are striped with blues and

beige Beige ( ) is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither ble ...

s that are intended to complement the murals.

Prohibition

During the early years of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

, Saturn had a bar and a bartender, but did not provide drinks. On advice from its lawyers, members could keep items, unquestioned, in private lockers and order all the ingredients for a drink, without spirits, to be passed into the club's rooms through a small

sliding door A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, usually parallel to (and sometimes within) a wall. Sliding doors can be mounted either on top of a track below or be suspended from a track above. Some types slide into a ...

. On August 29, 1923, Federal agents under

William J. Donovan William Joseph "Wild Bill" Donovan (January 1, 1883 – February 8, 1959) was an American soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat. He is best known for serving as the head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to ...

, who himself was a member of the club, raided both the Saturn Club and the Country Club of Buffalo. Agents found at least sixty quarts of

whisky Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

, a similar amount of

gin Gin () is a distilled alcoholic drink flavoured with juniper berries and other botanical ingredients. Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks and alchemists across Europe. The modern gin was modified in Flanders and the Netherlands ...

, five gallons of

moonshine Moonshine is alcohol proof, high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed alcohol law, illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol (drug), alcohol at night to avoid detection. In the first decades of the ...

, bottles of

champagne Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an Italian aromatized wine, aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various Botany, botanicals (roots, Bark (botany), barks, flowers, seeds, Herb, herbs, and Spice, spices) and sometimes Food coloring, colored. The modern ve ...

, and other liquors inside the organization's lockers, according to court documents. The chair of the club's house committee told reporters the night of the raid that the liquor “evidently was smuggled in by bootlegging employees of the club.” A listing of those charged with dry law violations was published in the newspaper After the names were published, the members and the club had little option but to agree to a settlement and do away with the sliding doors.

Notable members

Notable former members of Saturn Club include: *Robert B. Adam, founder of AM&A's department store * John J. Albright, industrialist, philanthropist, and namesake of the Albright Knox Art Gallery *Owen Augspurger, civic leader *George K. Birge, owner of M. H. Birge & Sons Co., director of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, and president of

Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American motor vehicle manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its expensive luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire tr ...

*Lawrence Bell, aerospace entrepreneur, founder of

Bell Aircraft The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many i ...

* Edward H. Butler, Jr., publisher of the Buffalo Evening News * Stephen Merrell Clement, president of Marine Bank *William J. Conners II, publisher of the

Buffalo Courier-Express The ''Buffalo Courier-Express'' was a morning newspaper in Buffalo, New York. It ceased publication on September 19, 1982. History The ''Courier-Express'' was created in 1926 by a merger of the ''Buffalo Daily Courier'' and the ''Buffalo Morni ...

*William J. Conners III, publisher of the

, soldier, lawyer, intelligence officer and diplomat * Robert Donner, Donner Steel Company * John T. Elfvin, federal judge *Harold M. Esty, Jr., president of Buffalo China * E.B. Green, Jr., architect * George A. Forman ■ * Burt P. Flickinger, Jr., entrepreneur, philanthropist, organizer of the 1993 World University Games *William A. Gardner ■ *Bradley J. Gaylord ■ *

Anson Goodyear Anson Conger Goodyear (June 20, 1877 – April 24, 1964) was an American manufacturer, businessman, author, and philanthropist and member of the Goodyear family (New York), Goodyear family. He is best known as one of the founding members and first ...

, founder and first president of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, president of Great Southern Lumber, director of

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

* Charles W. Goodyear, founder and head of numerous rail lines *George F. Goodyear, board president of the Buffalo Museum of Science, founder of WGRZ-TV, Saturn Club historian * William B. Hoyt, politician * Thomas B. Lockwood, candidate for Lt. Governor in 1914 * Duane Lyman, architect ■ *Edward A Kent, owner of Flint & Kent *Irvine J. Kittinger, Jr., proprietor of the Kittinger Company * Northrup R. Knox, co-founder of the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Con ...

* Seymour H. Knox, businessman ■ *

Seymour H. Knox III Seymour Horace Knox III (March 9, 1926May 22, 1996) was an American philanthropist and sports entrepreneur. He owned the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League from their foundation in 1970 to his death in 1996, and served as chairman of t ...

, co-founder of the

*Dr. Baldwin Mann ■ * Edward McGinley III, Wharton graduate * John R. Oishei, founder of Trico * John Olmsted, landscape architect, nephew and adopted son of

Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect, journalist, Social criticism, social critic, and public administrator. He is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the U ...

* Roswell Park, founder of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center *Ralph Plumb ■ *Theodore M. Pomeroy ■ * Peter A. Porter, Jr. ■ * Ansley Wilcox Sawyer, industrialist ■ * George F. Rand, president of

Marine Midland Bank Marine Midland Bank was an American bank formerly headquartered in Buffalo, New York, with several hundred branches throughout the state of New York (state), New York, Pennsylvania and two branches located in Seattle, Washington (state), Washing ...

*Ira G. Ross, scientist, engineer, leader of Calspan *Dexter P. Rumsey, tannery owner, real estate entrepreneur *William G. Schoellkopf ■ *Ralph H. Sidway ■ * Frank St. John Sidway, lawyer and National Guard leader and candidate for Lt. Governor in 1914 *John E. Selkirk ■ *Clarence Sidway ■ * Carlton Sprague, lawyer, politician, and chancellor of the University of Buffalo *Harlan J. Swift, president of Erie County Savings Bank *George P. Urban, miller, entrepreneur and director of numerous Buffalo corporations *Henry Z. Urban, publisher of the

Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. On January 29, 2020, the ...

* James D. Warren, publisher of the Buffalo Commercial Advertiser *Shelton Weed ■ * Ansley Wilcox, scholar, Oxford graduate, lawyer, and civil service reform commissioner *Harry D. Williams ■ *Seymour White ■ ■ ''Indicates that the individual was named in the newspaper during the 1923 raid''One Hundred Years, 1985, George F. Goodyear, Partners Press

References

External links

Saturn Club - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

{{National Register of Historic Places in New York Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Buildings and structures completed in 1922 Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York Gentlemen's clubs in New York (state)