Mory's
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Mory’s
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Entrance to Mory's
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| Location | 306 York St., New Haven, Connecticut |
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| Coordinates | 41°18′41″N 72°55′54″W / 41.31139°N 72.93167°WCoordinates: 41°18′41″N 72°55′54″W / 41.31139°N 72.93167°W |
| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP Reference # | 04001552 |
| Added to NRHP | January 25, 2005 |
Mory’s, known also as Mory’s Temple Bar, is a private club adjacent to the campus of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1849 and housed in a clubhouse that was originally a private home built some time before 1817. Originally it was a restaurant, especially hospitable to Yale undergraduates (it extended them credit), located at the corner of Temple and Center Streets, but in 1912, when the building was to be demolished, the owner and proprietor (since 1898), Louis Linder, sold it to a group of Yale alumni who moved the bar to 306 York Street and turned it into a membership club. The club's membership consists primarily of those who have an affiliation with Yale, and the culture of both institutions is deeply entangled. Originally an exclusive club only open to males affiliated with Yale College, the club gradually expanded membership over the years to the entire Yale community after much public wrangling about the exclusion of certain segments of the population when important meetings were held there over lunch, as was usual, by University decision makers.
After several years of operating losses and the 2008 financial crisis, the club closed indefinitely on December 19, 2008. Although the club had an endowment of $2 million, it was depleted by this poor performance and the market downturn in 2008-2009. After completion of a comprehensive business plan at the end of 2009 and progress on a fundraising effort, Mory's committed to a major renovation and a new business model in 2010. The fundraising effort and construction were completed in 2010 and Mory's reopened on August 25, 2010.
The building was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Membership in Mory's is now offered to all Yale students, employees, and alumni as well as members of the New Haven community with an affiliation to Yale. Yale undergraduates can join with a $15 membership fee that covers all four years at Yale. Alumni living within 30 miles of Mory's pay a $99 annual fee, while alumni living over 30 miles away pay a $49 annual fee.
Several important traditions are maintained at Mory's that have deep resonance with certain Yale alumni and students.
The Whiffenpoofs, the a cappella group made up of Yale seniors who are recruited from other Yale undergraduate singing groups, sings weekly, usually on Monday evenings, in the dining areas of the club. They often perform the famous "Whiffenpoof Song" which mentions Mory's as the "place where Louis [or 'Louie'; pronounced as the latter or the French version of the former] dwells." It was through this song, which was sung and recorded by Rudy Vallee, Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, that the Club became part of the national consciousness in the early part of the twentieth century.
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