The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto
| St. George's Hall (Arts and Letters Club) |
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Front entrance at 14 Elm Street
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Established | 1908 (Arts and Letters Club) |
| Built | 1891 (St. George's Hall) |
| Built for | St. George’s Society |
| Original use | Private club |
| Current use | Private club |
| Architect | Edwards & Webster (1891), Sproatt & Rolph (1920 alterations) |
| Governing body | The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto |
| Website | www.artsandlettersclub.ca |
| Designated | 2007 |
The Arts and Letters Club of Toronto (usually just called The Arts and Letters Club) is a private club in Toronto, Ontario which brings together writers, architects, musicians, painters, graphic artists, actors, and others working in or with a love of the arts.
The club is located in a historic building (St. George's Hall) at 14 Elm Street in downtown Toronto. Its premises were designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2007.
The club was founded in 1908 by journalist Augustus Bridle, "Member # 1"! In 1920 it moved to its present quarters at St. George's Hall, which has a lounge, meeting rooms, a libr ary, and a two-story Great Hall where meals are served and performances and lunch time and evening talks take place.
The club has been an important part of Canadian cultural life since its founding. The Group of Seven were all members and regularly met for lunch at the Club, as did composers Healey Willan and Sir Ernest MacMillan. The annual Boar's Head Dinner is believed to be the oldest event of its kind in North America, and the Club's constitution is unique in that every year it is sung at the annual general meeting to music specially composed by Willan.
The club's artistic life revolves around its "LAMPS disciplines": Literature, Architecture, Music, Painting, and Theatre|Stage. These are very broadly defined and include sculpture, photography, film/radio and TV arts, screenwriting, urban planning and other related fields. The Club welcomes both Professional Members, whose careers have been associated with one of more of these; however, it also has many non-professional members, who appreciate and support the arts.
Membership in the Arts & Letters Club encompasses not only a wide range of art practices, but also includes men and women in all age groups from early 20's, through every decade including a handful of lively and engaged members now in their 90's. The events offered by the Club include lunch time talks and concerts, dinners with speakers on subjects of current interest, film nights, stage performances, studio painting sessions three days a week, art exhibitions for members which rotate monthly, and in-Club groups interested in photography, writing and poetry. Attracting the younger crowd, are the lively Ad Lib nights each Friday, which host everything from performance art, to improv, jam sessions and games.
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Wikipedia