Rainier Club, Private social club in Downtown Seattle, United States
The Rainier Club is a private clubhouse at Fourth Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Seattle, completed in 1904 to a design by Spokane architect Kirtland Cutter. Its dark red-brown brick facade has steep front-facing gables trimmed in pale stone, stone quoins and window surrounds, and a dark brick chimney. Carl F. Gould added the south wing in 1929, along with a Georgian-style entry and Art Deco interior ornamentation.
The club was founded in 1888 by six civic leaders in Seattle and relocated to its present location in 1904, when architect Kirtland Cutter designed the building. These two dates mark the institution's birth and its move to a more prominent setting during Seattle's period of growth.
The club takes its name from British Admiral Peter Rainier, a choice tied to Seattle's rivalry with Tacoma, whose residents pushed the name Mount Tacoma for the mountain. In 1892 the club sent a delegation to Washington, D.C., to argue for Rainier. Its emblem was modeled on that of the Union Club in Victoria, British Columbia, founded in 1877.
The clubhouse is generally accessible to members and their guests, so check ahead about visiting hours and access policies before planning a visit. Its downtown location makes it easy to reach and puts you near other historic buildings and dining options in the center of the city.
The club holds more than 35 photogravures and 27 original signed platinum and silver prints by Edward S. Curtis, a member from 1903 to 1920, made on the journey when he accompanied Theodore Roosevelt through the newly created Mount Rainier National Park.
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