Jonathan Club
Jonathan Club is a private social club at two California locations—one in Downtown Los Angeles on South Figueroa Street and the other on the beach in Santa Monica. The club was included on the Platinum Club list of John Sibbald Associates in 2012 as one of the top five city clubs in the United States.[1]
History
The club was at one time believed to be named after Jonathan Trumbull, advisor to George Washington. But historical evidence states that the club was named after Brother Jonathan, the caricature predecessor to Uncle Sam. According to an undated but recent publication of the club titled Jonathan: A Very Special Club, the organization was founded in September 1895 by a group of men who had been active in a Los Angeles marching society. There is also evidence that the club's origin was tied to a group of Los Angeles Republicans who supported William McKinley's presidential campaign.[citation needed]
Membership
Membership in the club is by invitation.
Locations
In 1924 a contract was let for what Southwest Builder and Contractor magazine called a "magnificent new home" for the club—its present brick-faced structure at 545 S. Figueroa Street, one block west of the Los Angeles Central Library.[2]
Since 1927, the club has had a beach location in Santa Monica, in a building designed by architect Gene Verge, Sr.[3]
Notable members
- Nathan Cole Jr., one of the two founders of the Los Angeles Times
- Henry Edwards Huntington, railroad entrepreneur
- Robert S. MacAlister, Los Angeles City Council member, 1934–39
- Ronald Reagan[4]
References
- ^ [1] Sibbald Associates
- ^ Southwest Builder and Contractor (July 11, 1924) page 47
- ^ The City of Beverly Hills: Historic Resources Inventory (1985-1986)
- ^ Michael Ventre, "Members Only: Inside LA's Private Clubs," Los Angeles Confidential, undated