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Page Ten PHOENIX June 28,1973Park Slope Club Broadens Appeal84 Year Old Montauk Club Making Youth-Oriented ChangesBY WILLIAM LYONSThe Montauk Club on Eighth Avenue in Park Slope, founded as a men%u2019s club in 1889, is making changes that it believes will enable it to survive in the family-oriented society of today.No longer the secluded haven of wealthy Park Slope residents, the Club has broadened its appeal in an attempt to interest the young middle class families who've been moving to the Slope in recent years.The Montauk was organized in 1888 by 25 Park Slope residents (and named after the Montauk Indians who once roamed the area). The American architect Francis H. Kimball was com missioned to design the building. He toured the leading architectural centers of Europe to find a design for the club, and in Venice, found the C%u2019a D%u2019oro Palace and imitated its design for the Montauk.The land was purchased for $40,000, a princely sum by 1888 standards. At the time, the site offered a panoramic view of NewYork Harbor, the Narrows, Staten Island and the New Jersey Shore to the west. To the east lay the new and magnificent Prospect Park.May, 1891 marked the opening of the clubhouse. Valued at $194,318 with furnishings worth $26,643, the club was a reflection of its founders%u2019 affluence. Its early members were steel and shipping company presidents, important politicians and wealthy professionals. Included among the notables were Mayor William Gaynor and Senator Chauncey DePew. Senator DePew%u2019s birthday party was an annual affair for over 30 years.But even with this grand heritage there were problems. During the depression years the Club fell upon hard times and came close to dissolution in 1933, when some members recommended that its valuable property be put up for sale. The recommendation was not acted upon and eventually the club pulled itself out of debt.In recent years dues and assessments have kept the Club out of the red but lately the high cost of maintaining the 84-year-oldbuilding has put a strain on the budget, a budget growing larger each year while memberships, and thus revenues, decrease. Over the years membership has almost been halved, from a high of 800 around the turn of the century to slightly over 400 today.Dino Veronese, 40, a lifelong resident of Park Slope is the current president of the Club. He, perhaps, typifies the younger members in his attitude toward the Montauk. He feels that the Club should be preserved as much for its physical beauty and its traditions as for its place in the social lives of the members. The same respect that Park Slopers have for their brownstones is evident when he speaks of the Montauk as a beautiful place which mustn%u2019t be allowed to die.Under the direction of Veronese, the Club will soon convert the unused 4th floor into a modern gymnasium with sauna, showers and exercise rooms%u2014this for the younger members interested in more exercise than is afforded by the traditional club pursuits of1 1 ' ! 1 :ii | j11 !' ill j: : ;I !!; | ,1!; >1 .tfs. H i:( M l i t i I iOfji'ji ij %u20221 1*%u2019! i,IIIj) i;:jjf1 JWest windows. (Photos by W illiam Lyons)The M ontauk Club.cards and billiards.Also representative of a youthful outlook is the newly hired manager Michael Elden, a recent graduate of the Cornell Hotel Management school. Businesslike and knowledgeable of the intricacies of running an institution like the Montauk, he still evidences a concern for the building and its past.The need for a private club is almost dead. Young adults who, in earlier years would have held such membership in high regard, todayprefer the tennis racquet and the bicycle to the leather chairs and card tables of a club. The leisure hours of an active affluent generation are best tilled by the former. But the Montauk hopes to avoid the pitfall of insularity which may threaten the existence of private clubs.Through family participation in its activities and by providing services geared to the times, the club hopes to retain social importance as well as historical significance in Park Slope.Five Free CoursesFor Gifted Students PHOENIX Profile%u2605 Eating Oat%u2605 Feelings%u2605 Parks Probe%u2605 W hat%u2019s In Store%u2605 Name It Contest%u2605 Brooklyn%u2019s HappeningSome of the FeaturesReaders RegularlyEnjoy in thePHOENIXTo Subscribe Call 643-1032iiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiimiiiimiiiiiiHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirTELL 'EM YOU SAW IT IN THE PHOENIXll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll lll ll lll lll lll lti lll llH I I I I I M H I l103-7 Ave. Q789-5253imported coff%u00ab%u00ab and HkhAn innovative series of free college-level courses for gifted high school students in the metropolitan area will be offered by Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn beginning in the fall of 1973.The College Preview Program is a group of five tuition-free courses on the following topics: Concepts of Modern Technology; Introduction to Digital Computer Programming; Freshman Seminar in Current Physics; Social Change and Evolution; and Human Health in a Technological Society.Courses will meet for 15 weeks beginning in the week of September 10, and applicants will be accepted on the basis of their grade averages, class standing and experience.Each student will be allowed to enroll in one course only, and , grades will be based on term papers, laboratory r ->orts, computer solutions and other assignments as well as examinations. Since the courses are on a college level, the student will receive a grade and university transcript upon completion. Each course carries credit toward a Polytechnic u n d erg rad u ate degree, generally transferable to other colleges as well.Students interested in applying to the College Preview Program should get in touch with Polytechnic%u2019s Office of Admissions, 333 Jay Street, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201; telephone (212 ) 643- 2150. Deadline for applications is July 15.\\ 596-1083 164 C O U R T STREET \\COBBLE HILL FASHIONS Ladies Mod StylesChildren's Wear1 f% uiacl P rSrA C in * h a ArnflH