On This Day - Oct 12: The Players Dining Room

By TOWNES COATES

Opening of The Players Dining Room, Oct. 12, 1961

For much of our club's storied history, our dining room was a considerably smaller room with outdoor space to its south. When did the magnificent room we enjoy today expand to enclose the back patio and garden?

It may surprise both longtime members and first-time visitors to read the note in pencil on the back of this photo: "Opening night of the new dining room, October 12, 1961."

The mural and modest-size framed items are long gone from the walls, replaced by large works from the permanent collection. Wallpaper and many collectibles have been retired from the north wall. Yet the new room of 63 years ago feels utterly familiar to us decades later.