OCR Text |
Show M THE NEW COMMERCIAL CLUB H By Carl R. Williams. H Closing an era of great usefulness in promoting 1 the interests of Salt Lake and Utah in restricted H quarters and beginning a new era of continued M and wider influence, the Salt Lake Commercial H club took formal possession of its new building on H the evening of November 23. H This organization which had its beginning H about nine years ago led a precarious sort of ex- M istence for a few years and there were times when H it appeared as though the task of keeping up the Wt old quarters in South West Temple street was H greater than the interest of the citizens of the city M warranted. Reverses were only temporary, how- M ever, and for the last five years the membership, U popularity and influence of the Commercial club m have been gaining steadily. With these gains have H v come a degree of prosperity that has enabled the U Commercial club to build and furnish a home H which represents an investment of approximately M $400,000, and one which is regarded as tho largest H and best owned and occupied exclusively by any m similar organization in the country. In the erection of the building it has been said in jest that Mayor John S. Bransford tested every lot of concrete, every piece of steel and inspected every brick that entered into ifs construction and, H as chairman of the building committee of the club, H the jest was near the truth. This statement of the H interest taken by the chairman of the building H committee, however, is only an illustration of the B time and intelligent service performed by the H officers and governors of the club. These men, H including the late Fisher S. Harris, who up to a H few days before his death gave the best of his tal- H cnts to the success of the Commercial club, ren- H dered services to the club that will be remembered H with gratitude so long as the organization stands. The building committee consisted of John S. Brans-ford, Brans-ford, chairman, L. H. Farnsworth, W. J. Halloran, J. W. Houston, Samuel Newhouse, Heber M. Wells and F. J. Westcott. The furnishings committee, consisting of Jo seph E. Caine, chairman, Samuel Newhouse, A. j Davis, W. Mont. Ferry, Henry L. A. Culmer, B. o Mecklenburg and Samuel Weitz began its worl more than a year ago and the result of the labori of this committee has been the subject of general A CORNER IN THE BUFFET OF THE NEW COMMERCIAL. CLUB. comment. The officers and board of governors of the club during 1909 were as follows: William J. Halloran, president; Charles S. Burton, Bur-ton, vice-president; Joy H. Johnson, treasurer; Fisher Harris, secretary; Reuben E. Miller, John S. Bransford, Ira H. Lewis, Harry P. Clark, August W. Carlson, William Spry, Joseph E. Caine, Samuel Sam-uel Newhouse John Dern, George T. Odell, Samuel Sam-uel Weitz and Henry L. A. Culmer. The finance committee, which performed its important services serv-ices to the club in arranging for the issuance Of bonds for the building and attending to the details of finance for the construction and furnishing of the building consisted of August W. Carlson, John Dern and Ira H. Lewis. Continuing and completing the work for 1910 ueie the following officers and governors: Joy H. Johnson, president; George T. Odell, vice-president; Harry P. Clark, treasurer, and Joseph E. Caine, secretary; governors, Joy H. Johnson, George T. Odell, W. J. Halloran, J. S. Bransford, A W. Carlson, H. P. Clark, Ira H. Lewis, William Spry, John Dern, Samuel Weitz, H. L. A. Culmer, W. W. Armstrong, W. T. Benson, H. Vance Lane and Frank S. Murphy. Artistic selection of designs and colorings and prudent choice of materials characterize every detail de-tail of the furnishings of the new club building. Criticism of the furnishings and decorations has been confined largely to one or two special fea-tuies, fea-tuies, and this has been made with the knowledge that a committee which could please each of the 1,300 members of the Commercial club would be more than human. The Gold room adjoining the main banquet hall is rich in elegance although more somber in tone and this room has already been the scene of numerous social affairs, indicating Its popularity. With a view to pleasing the women patrons of the club, the third floor has been fitted up with a reception room, dressing room, ladies' dining room and four private dining rooms, seating six to twelve comfortably. The reception room, with windows overlooking Exchange Place and the main dining room, is finished in ivory and gold with hangings and tapestry of Nile green. The ladies' dining room is distinctive in style, and bold in its treatment of colors, with an artistic combination of yellow and blue in decorations and furnishings. Oak wainscoatlng seven feet high Is finished in a blue-gray shade with delft plate inserted near the top In alternate panels. A carpet of blue blends harmoniously with the decorations on the walls, while the lighting fixtures are a distinctive feature of this room. Chandeliers of hand-hammered copper cop-per in conventional lotr flower design bear lights suspended beneath y How, translucent shades. Furniture in this room is of black walnut of special, spe-cial, substantial and artistic design. The private dining rooms, two having windows overlooking the main dining room, are furnished with velvet and silk curtains and carpets of distinctive dis-tinctive designs. On the fourth floor, the billiard room, card room and library make up what has been styled a bachelor's paradise. The billiard room, furnished fur-nished for comfort and utility, has eight tables of the best construction. The card room, furnished in brown with craftsman's cloth curtains, is carpeted car-peted with heavy velvet and lighted with hanging brown glass globes over each of the twelve tables. The library, furnished with built-in mahogany book cases and a profusion of easy chairs and lounges, is a corner of the building where quiet and solid comfort reign supreme. The fifth and sixth floors are fitted up with bachelor apartments ranging from the small sleeping sleep-ing room to three-room suites with bath, although al-though no uniformity of style in furnishings has been attempted on these floors, mahogany and Circassian Cir-cassian walnut predominate. Taken altogether the Commercial club'p pw building is an appropriate home for the great and SB growing commercial organization of Salt Lake City, and both the club and its homo are sources m of pride to every progressive citizen of Utah. jB |