By the start of the 20th century, the number of private clubs in Brooklyn rivalled that of Manhattan. From Brooklyn Heights to Bay Ridge, architectural historian Matt Postal will lead us on an illustrated talk of their evolution and (mostly) overlooked history; including lost, former, and still flourishing examples. Brooklyn’s first purpose-built clubhouse — the Hamilton Club (1884), by George B. Post, will be addressed, as well as the remarkable homes of the Germania and Crescent Athletic clubs, both by Frank Freeman, who has been called “Brooklyn’s greatest architect.”

Join Royal Oak as we pay particular attention to the extant structures and when possible their impressive interiors. Such as the former Lincoln Club (Rudolph Daus, 1889), a Queen Anne style gem in Clinton Hill, the Venetian-Gothic Montauk Club (Francis Kimball, 1891), displaying an extraordinary continuous terra-cotta frieze in Park Slope, and the Heights Casino (Boring & Tilton, 1905) in Brooklyn Heights, boasting the nation’s earliest indoor tennis court.