Cosmopolitan Club

I had a most enjoyable lunch starting with a very tasty warm spinach and mushroom salad, followed by a perfectly grilled salmon with a fabulous yellow tomato vinaigrette sauce. We finished with litchi sober in red cactus soup for a refreshing dessert. Members are extremely lucky to have such a creative kitchen!

As a New York Junior League member, I enjoy reciprocal membership over the summer. A friend and I had lunch yesterday and it was a lovely afternoon! Everyone was attentive and almost genteel. I had a glass of Sancerre, a mozzarella and tomato appetizer, and chicken paillard. The wine was great, the appetizer was average, and the main course was so tender and juicy — perfectly cooked. My friend enjoyed a glass of rose, an endive salad, and crab cakes, all of which she enjoyed. Lovely atmosphere and hope to be back for future engagements! (Had been many years ago for a Columbia alumni event which was also great.)

Was here for a private event on a spring-​y April evening. The twilight streaming through those french doors was magical.
Their library room is an amazing event space. Stunning views from floor to ceiling windows on 3 sides of the room, 270 degree view, soaring ceilings, yet intimate and cozy at the same time. Would be a lovely reception or engagement party venue. Comfortably sits 50 for a sit down dinner (but not much room to mingle/​roam).

The Cosmopolitan Club is conveniently located on 66^th Street between Park and Lex. It is within walking distance of museums and shopping, and it offers great security. The rooms are simple but not Spartan. The deluxe double offers a larger space and higher level of luxury than the standard room; however, the rooms here are clean and perfectly pleasant at all levels.
The dress code forbids blue jeans, shorts and sandals. Men are requested to wear a jacket and women are expected to dress in appropriate attire.
The second floor dining room serves breakfast from 0730 – 1000 Monday-​Friday. The breakfast is quite good and of a great cost value! On weekends and holidays a continental breakfast may be delivered to ones room. This is the only time room service is available.
The library on the eighth floor is charmingly pleasant. Large comfortable chairs, a fireplace, and shelves full of books make the library a perfect place to pass an unoccupied hour.
I like the Cos Club because of its convenient location, unassuming nature, safe/​secure/​pleasant atmosphere, and its VERY reasonable prices for rooms in midtown Manhattan.
Non-​members may stay at the Cosmopolitan Club if the reservation is sponsored by a current member.
The history of The Cosmopolitan Club, as provided by their own write up, is as follows:
The Cosmopolitan Club has had three different headquarters over the last 100 years, has modified its name several times and undergone many other changes, but has always retained its original purpose: to provide fun for serious women and to offer the widest of intellectual hospitality and congenial companionship in an attractive gathering place.
In 1909 sponsors of an organization for governesses that met on weekends in the Froebel League’s schoolrooms decided that the club should become the Cosmos Club. They leased an apartment in the Gibson Building on East 33^rd Street. The rooms were on the second floor and overlooked a stable yard; the buzz of horseflies was frequently heard during the Board meetings, lectures, meals, receptions, and livelier diversions.
By 1910, the group’s name had been changed to the Women’s Cosmopolitan Club, and it was to benefit all women, self-​supporting or not, who were engaged or interested in the Liberal arts or professions. Members paid yearly dues of twenty dollars and forty cents for lunch.
Distinguished members in those formative years include: Willa Cather, Ellen Glasgow, Grace Dodge, General Custer’s widow, the violinist Katherine Parlow, the sculptor Anna Hyatt, and the ballet dancer Adeline Greene.
The new Clubhouse was on Lexington at 40^th Street. Part of it was located in a garage that had formerly been a stable, inspiring the Club to adopt its Pegasus logo. In 1915 the club changed its name to The Cosmopolitan Club.
By 1926, the Club was outgrowing its second home and begun to consider a new Clubhouse further uptown. The vote to move was passed in 1930. A site, then occupied by a stable, was found on 66^th Street. Despite the deepening Depression, funds were raised to construct a clubhouse. It opened its doors in December 1932, in a building designed by Thomas Ellett, for which he won the following Year’s Gold Medal of the Architectural League of New York. After the Second World War, Club member Eleanor Roosevelt becomes a United States representative to the United Nations. Notable national and international figures came to the Club and spoke about everything from the Marshall plan and recovery of Europe to current trends in domestic policy and Chinese pottery. The Club welcomed, and still does, many foreign members, and formed an International Visitors Committee.
The many social changes of the 1960s and 1970s, in particular the new professional opportunities open to women, affected but did not significantly alter The Cosmopolitan Club. It continues to be an inviting place for women seeking good company and cultural and intellectual stimulation.