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1960 -- Westward Expansion
Like Lewis & Clark before them, four forward-thinking businessmen head west of the Mississippi, but their “expedition” focuses on fine food and friends, not on furs. They begin planning a luncheon and dinner club in Clayton, site of St. Louis’ westward expansion: G.J. Nooney, founder of the real estate investment firm, Nooney Co.; Sidney Studt, proprietor of real estate development firm, Studt-Wilson Development Co.; W. Alfred Hayes, founder and president of the actuarial consulting firm, W. Alfred Hayes & Co.; and Robert Mudd, Chairman of Fruin-Colnon Contracting Company.
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1961 -- It's official
The Club incorporates. THE VISION: to become the finest private club in the nation, catering to business, civic and philanthropic leaders, offering extraordinary surroundings, unparalleled culinary experiences and services that would attract members for life.
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1962 -- A View from the Top, with Air Conditioning on Evenings and Weekends, No Less
Work begins on our first home, The Pierre Laclede Building, with the top three floors reserved for the Saint Louis Club. Built from the inside out, the pouring of its central core in just 17 days makes headlines. When completed, it ranks as the tallest building in Clayton and second only to the Southwestern Bell building in downtown St. Louis.
Promoted as “a building of distinction” with “an address of dignity”— visitors find it functional as well as elegant, with state-of-the-art technology and air conditioning during the evenings and Saturday, an uncommon luxury at the time.
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1964 -- Look! In the Sky … St. Louis’ First City Club Since 1917
The Saint Louis Club, the first major city club building erected in metropolitan St. Louis since 1917, opens with 400 Founding and Charter members.
Architects and engineers convert four floors on the Pierre Laclede Building blueprints into three, to accommodate 19-foot ceilings. The space combines carefully curated French and Spanish antiques, stunning crystal chandeliers and made-to-order rugs, chairs and sofas for comfort. Artisans make six attempts to craft the marble fireplace on the 15th floor before it faithfully replicates the fireplace in the French chateau that inspired its design. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat describes the Club as, “the height of elegance” for its time.
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1964 AND BEYOND
Movers, Shakers & Deal Makers
Members include leaders, decision makers and innovators with local and global ties. Under our roof members plant, nurture and expand ideas that impact our area, our region and the world. From first handshakes through negotiations to inked billion-dollar deals, attention, discretion and accommodation remain hallmarks of Saint Louis Club service.
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1965 -- Unforgettable Experiences
The Club holds its very first event—a fashion show. It qualifies as a stroke of irony that the Club's first event was a fashion show since, at the time, women are not permitted in most parts of the Club without their husbands. In fact, the "living room" space on our 15th floor serves as a staging area of sorts, where woman are invited to wait to be escorted past the men-only areas.
Special events in the ballroom serve as the exception to the men-only rule, hence our inaugural Fashion Show.
Very shortly thereafter, the Club catches up with the times and welcomes women not just as visitors but as full-fledged members.
Today, we plan and host more than 2,100 different events annually, including holiday celebrations, wine tastings, cooking classes, weddings (and more than our share of proposals, showers & rehearsal dinners), business meetings, educational programs and more.
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1968 -- No Pub at the Club on Sunday … Unless …
Allowing members to enjoy an adult beverage on Sunday ends. From 1935 until 1975, Missouri’s Blue Law prohibited Sunday alcohol sales. Club members could purchase a bottle in advance, however, and sign a memorandum at Sunday dinner, noting that, technically, they were merely withdrawing from their “personal supply.” This policy ends when police raid other clubs and issue fines for serving alcohol on Sundays.
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1970 -- Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin
Members of the Saint Louis Club found the local chapter of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the premier worldwide organization which celebrates the wine, food and culture of the Burgundy region of France.
Staff members and representatives of the Tastevin Committee planning a Tastevin dinner, pictured left to right: Tastevin Commandeurs Thomas H. Kenton Jr. and John A. Shiell; the Club’s Pastry Chef Denis Roberts; General Manager Dieter Vogt; Assistant Sous Chef John Bogacki; staff member, Doris Eddins.
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1981 -- Famous & Infamous Guests
Guests attending a testimonial dinner for Club member John Olin become suspicious when security guards begin arriving. To their delight and Olin’s, former President Richard Nixon makes a rare public appearance to honor his friend.
Through the years, politicians, musicians, actors, activists, journalists and athletes visit the Club: Spiro Agnew, George W. Bush and Laura Bush, Bill Clinton, Mitt Romney, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Joe Biden, Dick Cheney, Sammy Davis Jr., Gloria Steinem, Kevin Bacon, Tony Curtis, Paul Newman, John Goodman, John Cleese, Carlos Santana, Chaka Khan, Chuck Berry, John Cleese, Ozzie Smith, Whitey Herzog, Bob Gibson, Jack and Joe Buck, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky and more. Stan Musial remains a member until his death in 2012.
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1989 -- At 25, Time for a Facelift
A $3.1 million investment enhances and expands the Club facilities and creates a new, casual restaurant, The Back Door (later Bistro14), provides members with a less formal dining option for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The February 1990 issue of Restaurant/Hotel Design International calls the Club’s renovations, “A Luxe Redux.”
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Achtung! Here Come the Wallpeckers
The Club’s second General Manager and Berlin native, Dieter Vogt, books the first plane to Germany on news of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Vogt’s son leaves his culinary studies in Zurich to join his father among the crowds celebrating and removing pieces of the wall. Police largely ignore those with chisels and hammers, nicknamed “wallpeckers" by Berliners.
The Club’s first General Manager Kurt Mickley also hails from Berlin, where he served in many of the world’s finest establishments. His clients included European royalty as well as titans of business: J. Paul Getty, William Randolph Hearst and Bernard Baruch among them.
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1994 -- From the White House to Our House
Board members including Ambassador Sam Fox recruit Pierre Chambrin, one of the world’s most highly regarded chefs. Chambrin served as White House Executive Chef to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton before accepting a new role as the Club’s Executive Chef, elevating members’ dining experience. Chambrin leads the culinary team with distinction until his retirement in 2018.
When asked what ingredients we use at the Saint Louis Club that no one or few others in the region use, Chef Pierre’s protégé and our current Executive Chef Mathieu Lefebvre replied with a smile, “French chefs.”
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2000 -- Worldwide Wines
The Club’s Ageing Program launches with the purchase of Bordeaux wine futures and soon expands to include extraordinary wines from around the world. The Club maintains the deepest, most varied and expertly curated cellar in the region, containing more than 16,000 bottles of the world’s finest wines, including a 1907 Madeira and a 1910 Madeira.
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2001 -- Fire! … This is Not a Drill
When a building fire breaks out, Service Captain Herb Sanders, (pictured third from the left) carries a disabled Club member down 14 floors to safety. No matter the emergency—fires, power outages or water-main breaks—our show goes on! The current Club record: the relocation of multiple events with 1,000 attendees to other venues in less than 3 hours including all guest notifications.
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2009 - 2010 -- Madam President
Lee Murray serves as the Club’s first woman president. Always an active member, Murray goes on to play the key leadership role in the 2017 renovation of our 14th floor, as well.
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2014 -- Golden Anniversary
The Club celebrates its first 50 years with one of the grandest events in our history—a Gala with food prepared by guest chefs from across the country, complemented by signature Club creations. With dancing, entertainment and beverages on every floor, members describe the evening as, “glorious,” “phenomenal” and “amazing.”
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2017 -- A Transformation Celebration
After only 107 days and an investment of $1.8 million, our renovated, technology-friendly, 14th floor All-Day Café opens for business … and pleasure. The Club launches a new denim-friendly bar and lounge with service from 7 a.m. to midnight, new private meeting spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows once obscured but now spectacularly refurbished to reveal stunning panoramic views.
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Exclusive Wine Dinners
The Club hosts Sir Peter Michael’s son Paul Michael of Peter Michael Winery. Our wine dinners bring together world-renowned wine makers and wine connoisseurs for culinary experiences not found anywhere else. The exclusive winery offers only six dinners with Paul Michael per year. After seeing our wine cellar and experiencing our menu and service, the winery commits to giving one of those precious slots to The Saint Louis Club every other year. Members also receive invitations to join Peter Michael’s exclusive Wine Club immediately, a process that usually requires a seven- to 10-year wait.
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Dine Like A President
The Club’s Executive Chef, Pierre Chambrin, and his former White House Sous Chef John Moeller, recreate one of their famous White House menus. In high demand, this special event quickly fills to capacity. Attendees and those who missed it have the opportunity to purchase Moeller’s cookbook, Dining At The White House.
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2018 -- Saint Louis Club: The BEST Part of Your Day
Our Strategic Planning process concludes with an updated Mission: To remain the premier private-dining Club in the St. Louis region, enhancing both the professional and personal lives of our members with rewarding experiences they can’t find anywhere else. The Goal: Make Saint Louis Club the BEST part of your day.
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New Tools, New Look
Technology upgrades enhance and personalize our on-site and online member experiences. Updated branding reflects the Club’s deep French roots.
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Bonjour, Chef Lefebvre
After 14 years on the culinary team, Mathieu Lefebvre becomes the Club’s 10th Executive Chef, leading 26 highly trained French and American chefs under his command. In high demand, he hails from a small French town in the Alps, bringing with him skills honed at Michelin-rated restaurants in France and Switzerland.
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