American Club (London gentlemen's club)
Encyclopedia
The American Club was a London gentlemen's club
, now dissolved. It was established to provide a centre for London's growing expatriate
American community, with the inaugural meeting being held at the Savoy Hotel
on 21 October 1918.
Shortly afterwards, it moved to its permanent home at 95 Piccadilly
. As was typical for many such clubs, it remained only open to men, with a separate American Women's Club in London - attempts made by the AWM to amalgamate were repeatedly rebuffed. Anthony Lejeune noted in the 1970s that "the disappointing thing, to an English visitor, about the American Club is that it contains so little which is specifically American", citing its similarity to many similar London clubs.
Suffering from declining membership, the club finally closed in the 1980s. It has since sat empty save for the property manager, who is constantly cited for filth.
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
, now dissolved. It was established to provide a centre for London's growing expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
American community, with the inaugural meeting being held at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
on 21 October 1918.
Shortly afterwards, it moved to its permanent home at 95 Piccadilly
Piccadilly
Piccadilly is a major street in central London, running from Hyde Park Corner in the west to Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is completely within the city of Westminster. The street is part of the A4 road, London's second most important western artery. St...
. As was typical for many such clubs, it remained only open to men, with a separate American Women's Club in London - attempts made by the AWM to amalgamate were repeatedly rebuffed. Anthony Lejeune noted in the 1970s that "the disappointing thing, to an English visitor, about the American Club is that it contains so little which is specifically American", citing its similarity to many similar London clubs.
Suffering from declining membership, the club finally closed in the 1980s. It has since sat empty save for the property manager, who is constantly cited for filth.