Page 5 - Congressional University

History & Trajectory
of the Club
Congressional is a Club with a storied past and a bright future. It all began in 1921 as the result of the efforts of Congressmen Oscar E. Bland and O.R. Luhring of Indiana. They felt the need for a Club where Members of Congress could meet socially with businessmen. The idea was taken to Herbert Hoover, who at the time was the Secretary of Commerce, and he agreed to help wholeheartedly.
AFounders’ Club was estab- lished to draw up plans for
the new Club. A brochure
was created and circulated to Members of Congress and the business community on a na- tionwide basis inviting them to lifetime member- ships for $1,000 (comparable to $12,000 now). An architect was commissioned to create a model so prospective members would be able to see what the future clubhouse would look like (that very model is currently on display in History Hall).
In a few months, enough memberships were sold to make the dream come alive. Among some of the early members were: John D. Rockefeller, the Du Ponts, Walter Chrysler, William Randolph Hearst, Harvey S. Firestone, Howard E. Cof n, John J. Raskob, Edward L. Doheny, Julius Rose- wald, Alexander Mitchell Palmer, Thomas For- tune Ryan, Larz Anderson and Charles C. Glover. Presidents Coolidge, Taft, Hoover, Wilson and Harding were lifetime members of the Club.
Construction of the Club took two and a half years from conception to completion. On May 23, 1924, Congressional Country Club opened
its doors to more than 7,000 persons of national and local prominence for the Gala Opening. Such notables at the party were President and Mrs. Coolidge and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, with the Marine Band greeting guests at the entrance of the Club.
Congressional’s expansive clubhouse is the largest in the United States. It was designed in 1924 by architect Philip M. Jullien. It contains an indoor duck pink bowling alley, indoor and out- door tennis facilities, a grand ballroom, an indoor lap pool, a children’s pool and main pool, tness center, paddle tennis, and a grand foyer. Food and Beverage outlets consist of The House Grill, The Chop House, The Founder’s Pub, The Pavilion, The Main Dining Room, the Stop-and-Go and the Midway House . For overnight guests, there are twenty one rooms available on the highest oor of the clubhouse, offering guests breathtaking views of the facility. In 1943 the Club was temporarily leased to the government at the start of World War II. The Of ce of Strategic Services moved in and trained its men in espionage, sabotage, para- chuting and other skills. The Club returned to its members in 1945 and remains so today. The Club
then realigned itself to that of a family club with excellent facilities for golf, tennis, swimming, bowling, and dining. Being one of the few clubs in the Washington area with an indoor swimming pool, Congressional became the number one Platinum Club in the nation, as it is to this day.
During the following years, the Club and its members began to graciously offer its facilities to a variety of major gol ng events. In 1959,
the USGA Women’s Amateur was hosted. In 1964, the entire membership and team worked diligently to make the U.S. Open an unforget- table event. Ken Venturi won in oppressive heat, and still stands as the last Open to nish with two rounds on Saturday. In 1976, the 58th PGA Championship was hosted by Congressional with Dave Stockton winning by one stroke.