Guide to the Records of the Amber Club of Pittsburgh, c1900-1967
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Records of the Amber Club of Pittsburgh
- Creator
- Amber Club of Pittsburgh
- Collection Number
- MSS #65
- Extent
- 1.25 cubic feet (3 Boxes)
- Date
- c1900-1967
- Abstract
- The Amber Club of Pittsburgh was founded in 1869 by George Westinghouse as a meeting place and boarding home for fifteen bachelors who relocated to Pittsburgh to work at Westinghouse's Air Brake Company. The Amber Club Records include historical material, correspondence, financial material relating to the operation of the club, real estate material and other sundry items.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Historical Sketch of the Amber Club of Pittsburgh (1886-1968)
The Amber Club of Pittsburgh was founded in 1869 by George Westinghouse as a meeting place and boarding home for fifteen bachelors who relocated to Pittsburgh to work at Westinghouse's Air Brake Company. Membership was offered to men only with unanimous acceptance by the existing club membership and was terminated by marriage or relocation to another city. Eventually, members no longer needed to work for Westinghouse to be eligible for membership, but were still informally known as the Westinghouse Engineers. The first home of the Amber Club was on Highland Avenue in Pittsburgh's East End, but was soon after relocated to Murtland Avenue, close to George Westinghouse's home. In order to reduce his own personal operating expenses, George Westinghouse moved the club to Murtland Avenue and used his personal staff to work there. This arrangement continued only for a short time, as the club soon became independent of Mr. Westinghouse. From 1901 until 1937, the club was located at Long Avenue and from March 1937 until the dissolution of the club in late 1960s, the club was located at 5922 Howe Street in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. The club maintained a rigid organizational structure with a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer, as well as a house manager. The house manager's duties included planning the menu for evening meals, hiring employees, and managing the general care of the home. In addition, a weekly "boss" was chosen to serve as a father figure at the dinner table by saying grace and reprimanding members for foul language or gestures at the dinner table.
Scope and Content Notes
The Amber Club Records include historical material, correspondence, financial material relating to the operation of the club, real estate material and other sundry items. The greatest concentration of material relates to the financial operation of the club, real estate and membership concerns. Financial material primarily includes treasurer's reports and ledgers listing both member and vendor accounts and comprehensively documents the financial activities from 1916-1930 and from 1952 to 1961. Real estate material includes various documents relating to their house in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh and their search for a new residence building in the early 1960s. Membership material is arranged with general correspondence and includes letters of resignation following marriage or a move to another city, and applications of new members. Membership information is also available through financial material, as much of that material documents the individual member's expenses and payments. Other correspondence is of a routine nature and provides little information on the operation of the club. Of note are undated Christmas cards from previous members of the Club which were sent to current members. Historical material includes articles on the club, official documents including the constitution, and retrospective listings of members and officers. Miscellaneous material includes invitations and lists of those in attendance for the Amber Club's parties in the early 1960s, tickets to Fraternal Order of Police benefits in the 1940s including a victory ball in 1945, and numerous resource lists of Pittsburgh area industry and commerce in the early 1960s. These lists emphasize personnel managers and were probably used by the Amber Club to find new members among recently hired executives and professionals who would be new to Pittsburgh. Invitations sent to women and men for the Amber Club's parties were different and each are found in these records. These records document the day to day operations of the club but provide little material documenting the management of the club or their relationship with the Westinghouse Company.
Arrangement
The Amber Club Records are housed in three archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically by folder title with miscellaneous materials arranged to the rear.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in one accession in c1984.
Acc# 1984.33 Gift of Merrill Hess, (Records. Mr. Hess was a member of the Club and one of its officers when the Club ceased operations in 1968).
Preferred Citation
Records of the Amber Club of Pittsburgh, c1900-1967, MSS#65, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Historical Society Staff in 1984. Records rearranged and inventory rewritten by Stephanie Riccardi and Corey Seeman on February 21, 1994.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Sherry Kowalski on February 7, 2000.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Westinghouse Air Brake Company
- Westinghouse Electric Corporation
- Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Commerce.
- Shadyside (Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- Social life and customs.
- Oak Manor (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- Clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Engineers -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Housing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Men -- Housing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Men -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- Societies and clubs.
- Single men -- Housing -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh.
- Electric Collection