The grandest of the überexclusive clubs abutting Central Park, this Italian Renaissance-style edifice was commissioned by J. P. Morgan in the 1890s when a friend was denied membership to the Union League Club (the "new money" of bankers was too vulgar for New York society at the time). Morgan's grandiose result outdid the other clubs in magnificence, with lordly gates and an ornate lounge overlooking Central Park. Today's members include leaders of foreign countries, presidents of major corporations, and former U.S. president Bill Clinton.
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