University Club of Chicago

Our Story It began over a century ago, when a small group of university graduates gathered together in order to establish a meeting place of their own. The State of Illinois granted them a charter in 1887. Their goal was simple to foster an appreciation of literature and the arts and to create an environment where they, their guests and all future members could draw upon sustaining values of a common educational experience. The founders represented a variety of higher education institutions, bringing together unique backgrounds and interests. Among these founding members were Cyrus Hall McCormick Jr., President of International Harvester, Frederic Clay Bartlett, an avant-garde painter and art collector, and William Eliot Furness, an abolitionist credited with creating one of the Union Armys first regiments of free and former slaves. The Club first rented rooms in the Henning Speed building at 125 N. Dearborn Street and later purchased 116 N. Dearborn Street which provided accommo...