Guide to the Quadrangle Club Records 1893-1968


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Table of Contents

• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Citation
• Historical Note
• Scope Note
• Related Resources
• Subject Headings
• INVENTORY
• Series I: Minutes
• Series II: Miscellaneous Records
• Series III: Revels
• Series IV: Oversize

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

The collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Quadrangle Club. Records, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Historical Note

The Quadrangle Club was organized in the winter of 1893-1894 "for the association of members of the faculties of the University of Chicago and other persons interested in literature, science, or art." Harry Pratt Judson served as the first president, and meetings were held in the Hotel Barry, later known as Hotel Del Prado. The Club was incorporated in 1895 and proceeded to build a three-story clubhouse on the corner of 58th Street and Lexington (University) Avenue, which opened in June 1896. Fires destroyed much of the building in 1897 but it was completely remodeled in 1898 and a new wing added. Facilities included dining rooms, billiard room, library, card rooms, a ladies' room, and sleeping quarters for members.

Membership grew with the University, and a new building was constructed in 1922 at the corner of 57th and University. Designed by Howard Van Doren Shaw, its domestic English style was intended to complement the gray stone University buildings across the street. Club rooms were expanded to accommodate larger numbers, and the new location also afforded clay tennis courts, locker rooms, and showers. Although the Club was not officially a part of campus, the University recognized the important services it provided, and assisted by donating the land and paying the bills for lighting and heating. The old building, now known as Ingleside Hall (956-60 E. 58th St.), was moved to its present location to make way for the Oriental Institute.

The Quadrangle Club continues to be a convenient meeting place for faculty, visitors to the University, and other members of the community. It provides a social setting where much of the official and semi-official business of the University is conducted. Lunchtime conversations are legendary, particularly at the "round table." The Club has also sponsored banquets, dances, lectures, musical programs, and the annual "Revels," which began in 1904 as a Christmas pageant, evolving by the 1950s into a full-scale song-and-dance revue which poked fun at University life.

Scope Note

The Quadrangle Club records comprise 6 linear feet of materials which include minutes, reports, guest registers, building specifications, programs and notices of special events, and programs and scripts of the annual "Revels." The records were presented to the Library by the Quadrangle Club in 1983.

The collection is divided into three series, Minutes, Miscellaneous Records, and Revels.

Series I. Minutes

The first series contains minutes of board of directors and annual membership meetings. The minutes are complete from 1895 to 1946, with some additional files for 1957-1959, 1961-1962, and 1968.

Series II. Miscellaneous Records

This series incorporates a wide variety of materials which document aspects of the Quadrangle Club's history and activities. Among the items listed here are copies of the constitution and by-laws, rules and regulations, annual reports, and lists of members and officers; guest registers; reports and specifications for the building constructed in 1922, including correspondence with the architect, Howard Van Doren Shaw; and programs and notices of special events such as dinners, lectures, dances, and concerts. Most of these files are incomplete; see "Other Archival Sources" for locations of additional records found in other collections.

Series III. Revels

Records of the annual "Revels" cover the years 1904-1966. Documentation varies from year to year, but is most complete for the shows during the 1950s. Folders usually include programs, and may also contain scripts, musical scores, publicity, and other materials concerning production arrangements.

Related Resources

The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:

http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/spcl/select.html

Additional information about the Quadrangle Club can be found in the Board of Trustees' minutes; minutes of the Trustees' Committee on Buildings and Grounds and Special Committees; records of the Office of the Vice-President and the Department of Buildings and Grounds; the Presidents' Papers; and the Archival Photographic Files. Papers of faculty members often contain relevant materials; of particular note are the papers of Harry Kalven, Jr., E. H. Moore, William F. Ogburn, Louis Wirth, and James Lea Cate.

Subject Headings

• University of Chicago
• University of Chicago -- Faculty
• Quadrangle Club (Chicago, Ill.) -- History
• Revels (University of Chicago)

INVENTORY