Type Private club | Website www.norwoodclub.com | |
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Founded New York City, New York, 2007 Headquarters 241 West 14th Street
New York, New York | ||
The Norwood Club is a private club located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 2007 by Alan Linn and Steve Ruggi, who intended it to be a modern incarnation of the traditional gentlemen's club. Like the fine arts focused Century Association, the Norwood Club draws its membership from New York City's arts and creative community. Linn describes the Norwood Club as a "club for the curious." The Norwood Club's members have reciprocity with other private clubs in London, Dublin, Budapest, Toronto, Buenos Aires, and Shanghai.
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Clubhouse
The Norwood Club is located in a five-story brownstone townhouse at 241 West 14th Street built for merchant Andrew S. Norwood in 1847 and known as the "Norwood House." In the 1840s, Norwood built three townhouses on the north side of West 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, including the Norwood House, which then was a fashionable area of "northern" Manhattan. The matching houses, which were the first masonry residences to be built on the street, were designed as a melding of Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles. Norwood and his family moved into the Norwood House in 1847. His son, Andrew G. Norwood, inherited the home following his death in 1856.
Later on, the house was used for various purposes, including a boarding house, the New York Deaconesses Home of the Methodist Church, and a funeral home. In 1976, Raf Borello purchased the home and used it as his private residence until his death in 2005. During this time, the building's exterior was granted landmark status. In 2006, Borello's heirs sold the home to a group that included Alan Linn and Benjamin Harris who founded the Norwood Club in it. Linn employed British interior designer Simon Costin to convert the space without losing its artistic and historical integrity. Harris used the place to establish his corporation Norwood Nation. The Norwood Club then opened its doors in 2007. The Norwood House contains 13 marble fireplaces, mahogany interior doors, elaborate plaster ceiling moldings, a cast iron balcony, an elegant curving staircase, and a stained glass skylight.
Today, the Norwood Club contains a restaurant, two lounge bars, a screening room and a walled garden with seating. The top floor houses the screening room and a small roof deck. A hidden door on the main floor leads to a staircase to the lower dining room, which members can use for private events. The entire club features paintings, drawings and sculptures that are curated once each year. Many of the art pieces and books that are displayed are from current members.
Membership
Membership is selective. The application process includes completing written questions which address one's interests in the arts and motivation for joining Norwood, as well as a required interview and tour of the facilities. The club has about 1100 members, as well as a wait-list for new members.