Then and Now: The Metropolitan Club

Then (left): Ca. 1922, the Metropolitan Club on the southwest corner of I and 17th Streets. At the time, the four story structure dwarfed the surrounding buildings.

Now (right): While little has changed with the Metropolitan Club itself, the buildings around it now dwarf the club.

The Metropolitan Club’s website offers this history:

In 1863 at the height of the Civil War, the Metropolitan Club was established by six officials of the Treasury Department. Now, more than 145 years later, [the] Club includes distinguished members from all over the world. Since its founding in 1863, it has vigorously pursued its primary objectives of “literary, mutual improvement and social purposes.” …

The building, completed in 1908, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is also a District of Columbia historic landmark. Through the formation in 1998 of the Club’s Preservation Foundation, the protection and preservation of this historic building is now more assured.