Sip, Savor & Support!

Friday, March 18, 5:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Support the University Club Foundation and bring a friend for silent and live auctions of premium wine, fabulous art and fine cigars ~ your dinner is included!

• Appetizers & Cash Bar at 5:00 p.m.
• Silent Auction in the Living Room - Bidding Closes at 8:00 p.m.
• Prime Rib & More Buffet
• Live Auction Begins at 8:15 p.m.
• Tickets $35 per person ~ Checks payable to the University Club Foundation, a 501c3 corporation.
• Call 518-463-1151 for reservations.

Parade Day Buffet! March 12

Albany’s 61st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade ~ Saturday, March 12

Watch this annual spectacle from one of the best spots along the route … the U. Club Lawn!

The Club will open at noon for drinks and the renowned Corned Beef and Cabbage Buffet will be served from 1:00—3:00 p.m. The parade should pass the Club at about 2:15 p.m., and then you can return to warm your toes by the fireplace or your fingers around a steaming mug of Irish Coffee!

Please call 518-431-1441 to reserve your table for the Buffet! Just $14.95 for adults and $7.95 for children!

1st Friday with Jeff Strange!

On Friday, March 4, Jeff Strange returns to the U. Club to help us warm up for St. Patrick's Day!

A founding member of internationally known Irish folk band Donnybrook Fair and longtime member of The Newports, Jeff is known for his on-stage patter and energetic performances incorporating a broad selection of Irish, rock and original music.

Jeff will play from 8:00 - 10:00 p.m. at the University Club. The performance is free and dinner will be served until 9:00 p.m., please call 518-463-1151 for reservations.

On the first Friday of each month, as part of the University Club’s celebration of 1st Friday, one need not be a member to enjoy live music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted. Come be a part of the downtown arts walk that showcases Albany's thriving and lively art scene!

"Snow Scenes" Luncheon and Gallery Tour

Explore the works of Walter Launt Palmer at the University Club and Albany Institute of History & Art

The public is invited to attend a luncheon and presentation celebrating the work of one of Albany’s most prolific artists, Walter Launt Palmer, on Thursday, February 17, 2011 from noon – 2:00 p.m.

Snow Scenes will begin at noon with a hot and cold buffet and lecture at the University Club, 141 Washington Avenue at Dove Street, and then proceed across the street at 1:00 p.m. for a guided tour at the Albany Institute of History & Art. The University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. is presenting this event in conjunction with the Institute, and one need not be a member to attend.

Tammis Groft, the Institute’s Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions, will discuss a collection of Palmer’s snow scenes on permanent exhibit in the dining room of the University Club, along with a selection of related material in the collection of the Institute. Participants will get an up-close look at two recently-acquired pieces of Chinese ceramics that Palmer depicted in his 1878 painting, Interior of the Learned House, 298 State Street, Albany. The pieces were donated in 2009 by Philip Kerr of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The painting itself will be on view at the Institute, along with a library table designed by New York Architect Russell Sturgis also featured in the painting.

Frequently called “The Painter of the American Winter,” the Albany-born Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932) produced more than three hundred snow scenes from 1884 to 1932. In his 1910 essay “On The Painting of Snow,” Palmer, who had embraced Impressionism, acknowledged his debt to John Ruskin and the Pre-Raphaelites for influencing his early work, especially the discovery that the shadows on snow are blue, an important original element found in all of his snow scenes.

The cost for the luncheon and lecture is $35 and includes admission to the Albany Institute. Reservations are required and may be made by calling the University Club at 518-463-1151.

A portion of the proceeds from this event benefit the University Club Foundation, formed to recognize and maintain the unique historic and architectural significance of the University Club building and property, its historic neighborhood and the city of Albany, where it has been located since its inception in 1901.

Support for educational programming presented by the University Club of Albany Foundation, Inc. is provided by AT&T.

Above: Road to Olana, Walter Launt Palmer (1854-1932), 1888, watercolor and gouache on paper; Albany Institute of History & Art, gift of the estate of Miss Evelyn Newman. 1964.31.40

Banish the Winter Blues with TN3!

The Todd Nelson Trio (TN3) returns to the University Club, 141 Washington Avenue (at Dove Street) on Friday, February 4 from 8-10 p.m.

Metroland calls local guitar hero (and Hamilton Street neighbor) Todd Nelson “a preternaturally tasteful guitar player…” His trio is performing instrumental rock and roots, and features Kyle Esposito on fretless bass and Manuel Quintana on drums and percussion.

On the first Friday of each month, as part of the University Club’s celebration of 1st Friday, one need not be a member to enjoy live music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted.

The performance is free and dinner will be served until 9:00 p.m., call 518-463-1151 for reservations. As Todd says, “the Club is a nice place to hang.”

You can download the 1st Friday map here ... http://www.1stfridayalbany.org/maps/UAG_1stFriday_20110204.pdf

1st Friday with Sonny & Perley!

Start the year off on a jazzy note as Sonny & Perley return to the University Club on Friday, January 7th from 8-10 p.m., presenting their unique blend of jazz with International Cabaret and Great American Songbook standards.

You won't want to miss a minute of their performance in the warm and inviting atmosphere of the Grille Room. The performance is free and dinner will be served at the University Club until 9:00 p.m., call 518-463-1151 for reservations.

All About Jazz notes that "Sonny and Perley brightly blend lyricism, passion and rhythm in a way that is both rich and exotic ... The nexus of art and emotion are joined in an exceptional way," and Chronogram Magazine calls them "Harbingers of aesthetic jazz ... and romanticism."

On the first Friday of each month, the University Club celebrates the arts and culture in Albany by serving as a 1st Friday venue. One need not be a member to enjoy live music, dinner and dancing in the Grille Room, dress is casual, and cash and major credit cards are accepted.

We'll hope to see you on 1st Friday!

Warm up during the Holiday House Tour!

The University Club invites one and all to explore the warm and gracious surroundings of this historic Clubhouse, decked out in its holiday finery!

Cookies and bar service will be available from noon to 4:00 p.m. -- an adult hot chocolate (with a shot of Bailey's) will help to take the edge off the brisk weather!

Located just across Dove Street from the Albany Institute (the location for ticket pick-up), the Club is one of the four component buildings of one of Albany's most architecturally compatible and imposing intersections.

The red brick building in the Colonial Revival style was the last major commission of prolific Albany architect Albert Fuller, and was built in 1924-25. The main entrance to the Club, on Dove Street, features an entry porch with 4 sets of paired columns surmounted by an architrave, a cornice, and a decorative iron balustrade. The main interior spaces on the first floor are large, formal and elegant, and largely unchanged from the date of construction. Don't miss the collection of Walter Launt Palmer landscapes of American and Italian scenes in the main dining room.

While you warm your hands and lift your spirits downstairs in the Grille Room, be sure to pick up an invitation to the New Year's Eve Gala benefiting the University Club Foundation. This 501c3 organization was established in 2009 to protect and promote the historic Clubhouse, the surrounding neighborhood, and the City of Albany where the Club has been located since its founding in 1901.

In fact, the Foundation recently engaged a consultant to prepare a nomination to list the Clubhouse on the State and National Registers of Historic Places, which is on track to be considered by the State Board at their March, 2011 meeting. Just last month, State Historic Preservation Office staff confirmed that the Club was individually eligible for this designation.

Additional information about the long tradition of the Club, membership opportunities, and historic photos will be on display during the tour. We hope to see you on Saturday, December 11!