Albany Club

This article is about the Albany Club in Toronto. For the Albany Club in Western Australia, see Albany Club (Western Australia).
Albany Club
Founded27 October 1882; 142 years ago (1882-10-27)
TypePrivate members' club
Location
Websitealbanyclub.ca

The Albany Club in Toronto, Ontario, was founded in 1882 and is one of Canada's oldest private social clubs. Named after Queen Victoria's youngest son, the Duke of Albany, the club has been situated at its present location of 91 King Street East since 1898.[1]

Overview

According to the club's prospectus, it views itself as: "The exclusive social and business club for those who influence, celebrate, debate, and promote Canada's conservative and political history, ideals, values and leadership."[2]

The club is traditionally seen as a home for Conservative supporters. Its members have included every Conservative prime minister from Sir John A. Macdonald to Stephen Harper. Members have also included Ontario Conservative premiers Sir James Whitney, Sir William Hearst, Howard Ferguson, George Henry, Thomas Kennedy, George A. Drew, Leslie Frost, John Robarts, Bill Davis, Frank Miller and Mike Harris.[1]

Clubhouse

The front facade of the clubhouse, located at 91 King Street East

The current clubhouse at 91 King Street East was designed by Charles J. Gibson (1862–1935)[3] and completed in the early 1930s.[4] Its west side is directly adjacent to the last remaining portion[5] of "Victoria Row",[6] which was originally constructed by John George Howard from 1840 to 1842 as a commercial building.[7] The remainder of that site has been redeveloped as part of the 65 King Street East office tower, which preserved the historic facades along King Street.[8]

The club was closed to members for much of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Albany Club - About". Archived from the original on 2007-08-19. Retrieved 2008-01-20.
  2. ^ "Eve Adams's defection followed tense meeting with Stephen Harper". CBC News. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "Albany Club". Toronto Architectural Conservancy. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  4. ^ "91 King Street East (see page 7)" (PDF). www.toronto.ca. February 6, 2018. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  5. ^ The facade at 85 King Street East.
  6. ^ "Victoria Row in 1890". Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  7. ^ "85 King Street East (see page 41)" (PDF). www.toronto.ca. February 6, 2018. p. 41. Retrieved 2021-02-27.
  8. ^ "Heritage Facade Preservation Progress at 65 King Street East". UrbanToronto. Retrieved 2021-02-27.

Further reading

  • "Albany: A Celebration", History of Albany Club of Toronto, 1882–1982. Written by John Hewitt Amys, Q.C., 154 pages.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Albany Club.

43°38′59″N 79°22′29″W / 43.649673°N 79.374859°W / 43.649673; -79.374859