Touchdown bellies up to the bar in the Big Red Tap & Grill. (Cornell University) Cornelliana The Cornell Club Is a Big Red Oasis in NYC Stories You May Like Big Red Hockey’s Annual MSG Tradition Keeps Sizzling Big Red in the Big Apple: Legendary Sy Katz ’31 Parade is Back Alum’s Big Red Memorabilia Collection Captures a Bygone Era The stately—but not stuffy—Midtown facility has been Cornellians’ ‘home away from home’ for decades By Joe Wilensky What’s in Midtown Manhattan, has a Big Red awning, and occasionally hosts Touchdown at happy hour? The Cornell Club–New York! The 14-story facility is on East 44th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues, around the corner from Grand Central Terminal. Located along a stretch known as Club Row (the clubs of Harvard, Yale, Penn, and others are in the immediate area), it has long served as a haven from the city’s bustle. “The staff welcomes me like family,” says Basil Smikle Jr. ’93, a political strategist and director of Hunter College’s public policy institute. The club boasts a central location near transit, offices, and shopping. (Cornell University) “The club has always felt like a home—so much so that I’m anxious to introduce friends, colleagues, and even my students to it.” The club’s locale is familiar even to Cornellians who are not members—not only for its carnelian awning and the University seal on its façade, but as the first Manhattan stop for the Ithaca-to-NYC Campus-to-Campus Bus and as the site of the raucous, colorful, and musical end of the Sy Katz ’31 Parade. In addition to its 48 guestrooms, the club offers dining in the Big Red Tap & Grill and the second-floor Cayuga Room; ample workspace, overstuffed armchairs, and Cornell-related books and volumes in the A.D. White Room; banquet facilities, lounges, and various meeting spaces; and a fitness center. A cornucopia of Cornelliana—photos, mementos, and other items—can be found throughout. Memorabilia is on display along the walls of the first floor lobby and bar, including an engraved cane that once belonged to famed barkeep Theodore Zinck and the ceremonial mace used in the Katz parade. A portrait of Theodore Zinck, as well as his engraved cane, are on display. (Joe Wilensky / Cornell University) “The club is a welcome oasis in the very center of a loud, crowded, exciting city,” says NYU professor (and Pulitzer Prize winner) David Oshinsky ’65, MS ’68. “It’s the perfect place to meet other alums and bring guests. My Harvard friends always chose to eat here, rather than ‘up the block.’” General manager Craig Lasnier has been a mainstay since the early 1990s; he served as assistant manager for 24 years before taking the helm in 2015 (succeeding Tom Inglis ’70). Under his guidance, the club has been steadily rebounding from the pandemic—having resumed most amenities and programming—and is increasingly reaching out to young alumni. While the club has long held lectures, book readings, and topical discussions, Lasnier aims to add more food- and beverage-centered events like wine pairings and scotch tastings, as well as more walking tours and joint programs with nearby organizations like the Metropolitan Opera Club. In February 2023 alone, offerings included a Greenwich Village tour, a gin tasting, an author talk, a networking reception, and a young alumni happy hour. The club is a welcome oasis in the very center of a loud, crowded, exciting city. David Oshinsky ’65, MS ’68 “We’re not stuffy,” Lasnier says, pointing out that, unlike most of its Ivy League-affiliated brethren, the club has fairly relaxed rules—including a dress code that (gasp!) allows jeans. “A lot of other private clubs haven’t moved into the new century; they’re sticking to old rules that make no sense today. One of the primary objectives of the club is to stay engaged with the Cornell community. And with our global membership, we feel we do just that.” Stories You May Like Big Red Hockey’s Annual MSG Tradition Keeps Sizzling Big Red in the Big Apple: Legendary Sy Katz ’31 Parade is Back Lasnier (center) was grand marshal of the 2022 Sy Katz ’31 Parade, which also marked 30 years’ partnership with the club. (Cornell University) Founded in 1889 by a small group of alumni, the club was for decades located in a succession of rented spots around Midtown. Its current home on 44th Street—formerly the NYC offices of the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Corporation—was gifted to the University in 1986 by an anonymous alum donor and opened after a three-year renovation. Who can join? Big Red alumni, students (21 and over), faculty, staff, and their family members are eligible for membership, which includes reciprocal benefits at clubs around the world. Dues are based on category (resident, suburban, or non-resident) and years since graduation. Special rates are available for faculty and staff, and each year’s crop of new graduates is given a brief opportunity to join at a much-reduced cost. Glimpses of the Ithaca campus appear throughout, especially in the lobby. (Provided)Lasnier (center) lends a hand behind the front desk. (Joe Wilensky / Cornell University)One of the 48 guest rooms. (Provided)The second-floor Cayuga Dining Room. (Provided) “I’ve definitely used it as a home base, because it’s near my office,” says Bernadette Gunther ’22, a Nolan School graduate who joined soon after starting work at Santander Bank in Manhattan. “When you’re new to the city, it’s good to have somewhere where you automatically have something in common with everybody who walks through the door.” Top: Touchdown bellies up to the bar in the Big Red Tap & Grill. (Cornell University) Published March 3, 2023 Comments David Wheeler, Class of 1978 14 Mar, 2023 The Executive Committee of my fraternity, Phi Sigma Epsilon, had an annual meeting with the alumni Board of Directors of the house corporation where we essentially had to provide an annual report, budget for the upcoming year, etc. I will always remember making the trip from Ithaca to The City for that meeting held in a conference room at the Cornell Club. I thought it was a “big deal meeting” – made even more special by the venue which seemed like a little slice of Ithaca in Midtown Manhattan. Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond Big Red Bird Lovers Aim to Make East Hill’s Buildings Avian Friendly Alumni Meet the Overtons—A Big Red Family for Six Generations Quizzes & Puzzles Cornellian Crossword: ‘Fall Festivities’