Manufacturer: Shenango China
User: Press Club of San Francisco
Date of plate: 1965
Notes: The Press Club of San Francisco was founded on July 25, 1888, by a group of around 80 journalists. Prior to its founding, these men had met informally in various taverns like The Ivey Green or Arion Halle. In its early years, the Press Club of San Francisco moved to various locations downtown, but in 1913 moved to a four-story building on the corner of 449 Powell and Sutter streets. The building was designed for the club by Frederick H. Mayer and dedicated on Sept. 6, 1913. It contained sleeping quarters, banquet hall, library, and several large meeting halls. They stayed at the Powell Street location until March 1951, when they merged with the Union League Club and moved to 555 Post Street – a seven-story building.
The club's enduring mascot was a black cat named Tombstone. One version of the story was that during their early moves and relocations, the members kept a black cat that they named because after the 1906 earthquake, he was seen scurrying out from the ruins of their clubhouse, looking like he had crawled out from under a tombstone. It is not clear if Tombstone was one long-lived cat or if it became a club tradition to always own a black cat, given that name. However, when keeping a cat became impractical because of damage to furniture, artist and club member Benny Bufano sculpted one from black marble – also named Tombstone – that became the club's tangible symbol for off-the-record conversations and talks.
An article in the San Francisco News dated November 13, 1952, states: "when celebrities are entertained at the club's famous "Gang Dinners" usually on Friday nights, Tombstone sits in front of the speaker, as a guarantee that what he or she says will be kept secret."
In 1945, the club along with local media, played a pivotal role in the founding of the United Nations by facilitating communication, hosting journalists from around the world, and generating public enthusiasm. They covered the two-month-long conference, ensuring the public was informed about the proceedings. The club provided a central location for journalists to work, fostering communication among the delegates, the public, and the international press corps.
Membership, once more than 3,000, was down to barely 1,200 by 1988, and of those 1,200, only 160 were members of the working press. An article in the San Francisco Chronicle dated Sept. 15, 1982, states: "For years, the membership of the S.F. Press Club has been mostly public relations agents, ad salesmen, doctors and lawyers. Most local reporters gave up on the place years ago."
In 1987, a suit was filed by a female member to gain equal access to the club's pool and locker room. Since its male members were allowed to swim in the pool nude, women had been barred use of the pool except for a few hours each week. Even after winning the suit, some male members defied the court order.
The club finally closed in 2003, and some of its memorabilia was sent to the University Club of San Francisco, including the marble statue of Tombstone.
White body plate with an airbrushed burgundy red stripe around the outer rim. At the top of the verge is a black pinstripe and at the top of the well, bleeding up into the verge, is the club's logo. The logo consists of two black-lined circles with a drawing of a black cat in the center. In the space between the two circles are the words "Press Club of San Francisco" in burgundy red block letters.
Sources:
San Francisco News, Nov. 13, 1952 – story about "Gang Dinners" and Tombstone
San Francisco Chronicle, Sept. 15, 1982 – story about membership
San Francisco Chronicle, July 26, 1988 – decline in membership
San Francisco Chronicle, July 16, 2006 – off the record
Contributors:
Susan Phillips, ID and plate photos
Ed Phillips, research and author