1924 GRAND STREET BOYS' ASSOCIATION West 55th St. MANHATTAN BUILDING PLAQUE

Description

1924 GRAND STREET BOYS' ASSOCIATION West 55th St. MANHATTAN BUILDING PLAQUE
This solid bronze plaque was professionally salvaged many years ago upon the demolition of the Grand Street Boys' Association clubhouse building at 106-108 West 55th St. in Midtown Manhattan.  It measures 36" x 23 3/4" x 3/4" and it weighs about 58lbs.  It is in excellent original condition, showing some expected surface wear consistent with its age and display. This unique piece of New York City history would go well in a collection.
The Grand Street Boys' Association
began in 1916 when a reunion was held in Manhattan for men who had grown up on or near the bustling Grand Street, a main thoroughfare in the Lower East Side.  Success of that reunion led to a second reunion in 1920 where it was decided that a permanent club should be formed. The Grand Street Boys’ Association was incorporated in 1921 and they opened their first clubhouse
in 1924 in the former MacDougal Club, located at
106-108 West 55th Street
in
Midtown Manhattan. The clubhouse had a gym, lounge, dining room, barbershop, library,and an auditorium.
Original members were primarily Jewish, but were also Irish and Italian, among other
ethnicities. Open to all men (and eventually women) regardless of religion,
ethnicity, or social class, the Grand Street Boys promoted welfare projects,
acts of fellowship and tolerance, scholarships, youth employment, war efforts,
and the elimination of discrimination in sports, among other projects. At
first, only men who grew up in the vicinity of Grand Street were eligible to
enroll. This restriction was soon removed and the Association became the
“headquarters of those who really love New York.”
Well-known members included
Irving Berlin, Eddie Cantor, Irving Caesar, Fiorello La Guardia, Al Smith, John
Lindsay, Robert F. Wagner Jr., Jonah J. Goldstein, Herbert H. Lehman, Nelson A.
Rockefeller, and Cardinal Patrick Hayes.
As stated on the plaque, the buildings architects were William Summerfeld, Benjamin Steckler and Mitchell and Michael Bernstein.
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