The 21 Club

The 21 Club
Station1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Name	The 21 Club
Established	1922
Closed	2020 (temporarily closed), 2023 (permanent in-person closure)
Street address	21 W 52nd Street (original)
City	New York City
State	New York
Country	United States
Previous owners	Sandro Perri, William Downie, Jack Kriendler, Charlie Berns
Current owner	(Berns Family ownership until 2020; rights held by Berns Management)
Cuisine	American, Continental
Dress code	Formal

The 21 Club is an iconic private dining establishment and former restaurant in Midtown Manhattan known for its pedigree among entertainers, financiers, and political figures. Founded during the Roaring Twenties and surviving Prohibition, it achieved cultural cachet through discreet service, ornate decor, and a roster of regulars drawn from Hollywood, Wall Street, Broadway, and Washington, D.C. Its reputation intertwined with major 20th-century social and political currents, making it a locus for dealmaking, celebration, and secrecy.

History

Opened in 1922 by restaurateurs associated with New York society and hospitality circles, the club adapted rapidly to the challenges of Prohibition following the enactment of the Eighteenth Amendment and enforcement by the Volstead Act. During the 1930s and 1940s, it became a refuge for figures from Hollywood such as Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, and Bette Davis, as well as financiers from J.P. Morgan-connected families and executives from General Electric and AT&T. In the postwar era the venue hosted veterans of the United States Senate, advisors from the Truman administration, and diplomats who had served at Pearl Harbor-era conferences and later summits like Yalta Conference delegates turned interlocutors. The club weathered social upheavals of the 1960s and 1970s while continuing to attract cultural figures from The Beatles era managers to Bob Dylan and contemporaries in publishing such as editors from The New Yorker and The New York Times. Into the 21st century, it served patrons from Silicon Valley companies, hedge funds on Wall Street, and political operatives who had worked on campaigns linked to Presidential elections.

Architecture and Design

Housed in a townhouse and later expanded into adjacent properties in Midtown near St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, the club featured a labyrinthine interior of wood-paneled dining rooms, private libraries, and vault-like bars. The décor incorporated antique fixtures sourced from European auctions associated with collectors who had worked with institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and dealers linked to the Louvre provenance trade. An exterior façade and discreet side entrances addressed traffic from limousines serving celebrities from nearby venues such as Radio City Music Hall and theaters on Broadway. Interior designers and craftsmen who also executed commissions for estates on Fifth Avenue and country houses in Connecticut produced carved mantels, brass fittings, and leaded-glass windows reminiscent of colonial and European revival styles favored by patrons including bankers tied to Goldman Sachs and industrialists from DuPont.

Cuisine and Service

The culinary program emphasized classic Continental and American preparations refined for an elite clientele, with menus that echoed service traditions practiced at institutions like Delmonico's and Tavern on the Green. Executive chefs trained in kitchens that produced state dinners for administrations including Kennedy administration and Reagan administration service protocols preserved tableside presentations, ice sculpture displays, and formal silver service. Wine lists featured bottles from estates reviewed by critics who contributed to Wine Spectator and publications associated with Robert Parker-era tasting notes; sommeliers maintained cellars stocked with vintages from Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa houses connected to vintners who collaborated with restaurateurs across California wine country. Service staff received training comparable to hospitality programs affiliated with schools like Culinary Institute of America and institutions that supplied talent to luxury hotels such as The Plaza.

Private Dining and Membership

Private dining rooms served as confidential venues for negotiations among CEOs from firms such as IBM and Citigroup, and for social gatherings involving artists represented by galleries on Madison Avenue. Membership and reservation practices emphasized discretion akin to private clubs like The Knickerbocker Club and The Union Club of the City of New York, with long-standing tables reserved for prominent families including descendants of entrepreneurs associated with Sears and Woolworth Company. The club’s locker system and private wine storage mirrored protocols used by gentlemen’s clubs that catered to legislators from the United States Congress and ambassadors accredited to the United Nations.

Cultural Significance and Notable Patrons

As a social hub, it seated luminaries from Hollywood such as Frank Sinatra and Katharine Hepburn, authors published by Random House and HarperCollins, and composers connected to the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall. It figured in memoirs by politicians who served under Lyndon B. Johnson and advisors linked to the Nixon administration, and appeared in reportage by journalists from The New York Times and Time (magazine). Its guest list included sports stars under contract with organizations such as Major League Baseball and celebrities managed by agencies like CAA. Artists, musicians, financiers, and foreign dignitaries used its rooms for meetings referenced in biographies of figures associated with World War II planning, Cold War diplomacy, and late-20th-century cultural movements.

Ownership and Legal Issues

Long run by a family-owned management firm tied to restaurateurs and investors who previously operated venues in Manhattan and Palm Beach, the establishment faced legal and regulatory issues typical of nightlife operations in New York, including licensing matters overseen by the New York State Liquor Authority and zoning disputes with the New York City Department of Buildings. In the 21st century ownership navigated labor negotiations with unions such as UNITE HERE and disputes involving contracts with tenants and creditors linked to regional banking institutions like Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Pandemic-related public health mandates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state-level orders under governors from New York precipitated temporary closure and subsequent strategic decisions by owners and trustees concerning leases, intellectual property, and the brand’s future.

Category:Restaurants in Manhattan Category:Private clubs in the United States