Established in 1881
The Pendennis Club Stands Strong
This wonderful club serves as an extension of each member’s life, operating as a purely social organization that welcomes individuals from all backgrounds. It is not confined to a specific profession or belief system, embracing diversity among its members.
Membership is open to those who share our values, with neither hereditary nor corporate memberships to perpetuate. The Pendennis Club fosters a sense of friendship, promoting values such as decency, decorum, civility, good manners, and the appreciation of social graces.
Here, we reflect on our past, consider the present, and look forward to a future where the Pendennis Club continues to be a welcoming place for friends, much as it is today and as it was a century ago.
History of the Second Clubhouse
The first clubhouse consisted of rented space in a building that was demolished to make way for the construction of the Seelbach Hotel, a Louisville institution. In 1883, the club purchased its first permanent home–the residence of William Burke Belknap (1811–1889), founder of Belknap Hardware & Mfg. Co., located at 332 West Walnut Street and subsequently opened to members on August 1, 1883. On that same day, the Southern Exposition was also opened in Louisville by U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. That evening, President Arthur was a guest at the Pendennis Club where he and some of his cabinet members, including Robert Todd Lincoln, enjoyed a lavish dinner. Other U.S. Presidents who have visited the club include Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.
According to Levi Bloom, President Taft, who was a native of Cincinnati, “felt more at home and would rather come to the Pendennis Club than any other in the country.” Perhaps one reason why he was so fond of the club is the following assessment of its members by later Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Arthur Krock:
If the term “gentleman” is held to its proper definition to mean a civilized, educated, well-mannered man, then no club in the United States numbered more such persons proportionate to its size than the Pendennis.
Another notable early visitor was famed landscape architect (and designer of New York City’s Central Park) Frederick Law Olmsted. On May 20, 1891, he met for dinner at the club with leading Louisville citizens and Park Commissioners during his visit to the city in which he proposed his plan for the city’s park system. Club member and Park Commissioner Andrew Cowan was instrumental in making this project a reality. In 1895, Charles Spencer-Churchill, 9th Duke of Marlborough visited the club.
History of the Current Clubhouse
A score of articles appeared in The Courier-Journal, from October 27, 1927 to December 11, 1928, documenting the construction of the Club’s current home, which occurred under the leadership of Club President Owsley Brown,I. Designed to be “one of the finest club buildings in the country” and “entirely fireproof throughout,” the one-million dollar project commenced in 1927. Nevin, who would serve as the Club’s President in 1939-1941, “met with the directors and helped plan the building,” and he emphasized to a newspaper reporter “that the very best material and equipment will go into the structure.” Built by local contractor Wortham Construction, this “work of genius” was “almost in its entirety the product of Louisville craftsmanship,” and it was a sign of Louisville’s growth and prosperity, according to the newspaper.
On Monday, Dec. 10, 1928, the new clubhouse was unveiled. The newspaper noted that members would feel at home coming up the front steps and terrace, which were features reproduced from the original clubhouse. The “simplicity of the doorway is an added delight.” The entry and lobby, with its black and white marble floor, are a “meticulous reproduction of parts of the American wing in the Metropolitan Museum.” “Finished in natural walnut,” the library was then and still is “carpeted with . . . warmth-giving red.” The Billiard Room is also of “natural walnut” and, with the Grill Room, has a teak wood floor. The latter room contains “pillars” and pilasters made of black Belgian marble. Nevin later told John Johnson that the first floor generally followed the same floor plan as the original clubhouse–just on a much larger scale.
The Courier-Journal also reported that members would find the main staircase “puzzlingly familiar,” as it was a reproduction of the one in the original clubhouse. Off the “commodious hall,” in the Main Dining Room, are chandeliers that are “faithful reproductions of those in the Treasury House, York, England.” The second floor’s private dining rooms were, “according to their creators,” the “finest” set of such rooms in America. The walls of both the Independence and Hindustan Rooms are decorated with “Zuber paper, hand blocked, an import from Alsace-Lorraine.” All of the early American reproduction furniture in these rooms was made of cherry or mahogany. On the third floor is the “Georgian ballroom” with its crystal chandeliers and oak floor. Interestingly, the newspaper noted that the athletic area contained two handball–rather than squash–courts. All totaled, the current clubhouse has 78,346 square feet under roof including 58,760 square feet of finished space. With foundational walls over six feet thick, the building was designed to be able to support at least two additional stories.
The clubhouse is still a remarkable structure in so many ways–whether measured architecturally, by size, or construction. There is no club building in Kentucky that can rival its architectural splendor, and it can hold its own with the grand city club buildings in London and New York. In 2003, it was officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
1927
Milestone 1
Groundbreaking of the new Pendennis Club occurred in October 1927 at the present-day location of 218 W. Muhammed Ali Boulevard.1927
Milestone 2
Framing on what was designed to be “one of the finest club buildings in the country” began towards the end of 1927.1928
Milestone 3
The building was planned to be constructed with “the very best material and equipment” by a Mr. Nevin. Nevin would go on to serve as Club President from 1939 to 1941.1928
Milestone 4
The Pendennis Club’s structure, built to be “entirely fireproof throughout”, continued to take shape on the cusp of downtown Louisville throughout 1928.
1928
Milestone 5
The clubhouse was built by a local contractor, Wortham Construction, and was prided on being almost entirely a “product of Louisville craftsmanship.”1928
Milestone 6
On November 6, 1928, an announcement promoting a celebratory dinner-dance in honor of the new clubhouse opening was printed in The Courier Journal.
1928
Milestone 7
The new Pendennis Club was unveiled to the public on December 10, 1928. The dinner-dance to celebrate the opening followed on the evening of December 11th.
The Club’s Heraldic Crest and Motto
The Club borrowed its crest and motto from John Pendennis, the Major and Pen. John, in his rise up the social ladder, first “had a gig with a man to drive him” but later on “his poor old mother had the happiness of seeing him from her bedroom window, to which her chair was rolled, her beloved John step into a close carriage of his own, a one-horse carriage, it is true, but with the arms of the family of Pendennis handsomely emblazoned on the panels.”
Major Arthur Pendennis, we are told, wore an elegant ring also “emblazoned with the famous arms of Pendennis.” And when John died and was buried in the abbey church of Clavering St. Mary’s, “a fair marble slab” was erected over his pew. “On it you may see the Pendennis coat of arms and crest, an eagle looking toward the sun, with the motto ‘NEC TENUI PENNA,’ to the present day.”
The motto means, literally, “nor on weak wing” and has given rise to the oral tradition that it means that the members of the Club are high flyers.
A more scholarly tradition identifies it as a fragment from an ode by the Latin poet Horace, the first two lines of which translate: “On neither weak nor vulgar wing shall I be borne through liquid air.” One can conclude that the two traditions converge, with the former having an ounce or two of truth.
General Manager – Francis Ciganek
Francis Ciganek brings over 25 years of cumulative hospitality experience spanning 3 continents. Following graduation from University of Nevada Las Vegas’s school of Hotel Administration he moved back to the east coast and worked in the Hay Adams Hotel, Army Navy Country Club, The Sulgrave Club, and two years working aboard MSC & Viking Cruise lines in both the Caribbean and Russia.
His last club before joining the Pendennis Club was Assistant General Manager at Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria, VA.
He is passionate about the hospitality industry and enhancing the member experience. He loves the architecture, civility, decorum and history that city clubs convey and fell in love with the Pendennis Club as soon as he saw the General Manager position posted.
Born in Czechoslovakia but raised on Maryland’s beautiful eastern shore in Chestertown, his passions include travel, antiques, and running. He has traveled to 123 countries on all 7 continents with a goal of visiting all 197.
Select Membership Awaits
If you are interested in becoming a member and learning about what all the Pendennis Club has to offer, please fill out the form you’ll find following this link and a member of our membership committee will reach out to you.
