The club opened on 29 May 1874 with the aim to be available to both men and women. It formed under a committee formed of both sexes, under the presidency of James Stansfeld, Member of Parliament for Halifax. It had initially set the limit for members at 600, with some 350 elected two weeks prior to opening. The club came in for criticism because of its progressive view of women's rights, but also saw supporters join its ranks such as Edward Cortenay MP.

In 1947, the Club moved to its present home at Five East Sixty-sixth Street. This five-story mansion is known as one of the finest examples of French Renaissance architecture in America.

The Lotos Club

In 1909, the Club moved to a new and custom-built home 110 West 57th Street. Andrew Carnegie placed the necessary funds at the Club’s disposal when the Panic of 1907 made proceeding with construction of the building impossible.

The Lotos Club

In 1892, the Club moved to 556-558 Fifth Avenue, on the west side of the avenue south of Forty-sixth Street—the first home owned by the Club. The first formal dinner in the new clubhouse was held in honor of Mark Twain. The Club’s president, Frank Lawrence said, “The Lotos Club is ever at its best when paying homage to genius in literature or art.”

The Lotos Club

On May 1, 1877, The Lotos Club moved to the Bradish Johnson mansion at 149 Fifth Avenue at the corner of Twenty-first Street. The building was more spacious and suitable for the Club’s growing membership and its receptions and dinners.

The Lotos Club

The Club’s first home was a brownstone building at 2 Irving Place, just off Fourteenth Street and next to the celebrated Academy of Music. Quickly the Club gathered a roll of notable members including Mark Twain; editor and statesman Whitelaw Reid; John Hay, author and secretary to Abraham Lincoln; the actors Edwin Booth and Joseph Jefferson; editor Henry Watterson, and many others.

The Lotos Club

Opened in 1816, the garden is the oldest scientific institution in Australia and one of the most important historic botanical institutions in the world. The overall structure and key elements were designed by Charles Moore and Joseph Maiden, and various other elements designed and built under the supervision of Allan Cunningham, Richard Cunningham, and Carrick Chambers. The garden is owned by the Government of New South Wales and administered by the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust.

This photo from Detroit Publishing Company shows Duluth’s Spalding Hotel at 428 W. Superior St. The elegant 200-room hotel opened on June 6, 1889 and was demolished on Sept. 25, 1963.

Perfect Duluth Day