Elegant Penn Club dazzles new alumni

NEW YORK -- A royal red carpet, rather than a welcome mat, was set out for the 850 recent graduates who attended an opening of the luxurious Penn Club of New York Friday night. Yet many of the alumni present -- all of whom graduated the University in the 1990's -- insisted that despite the plush entrance and opulent decor, the overall effect of the Club was downright "homey." "It's very big but it has a very intimate feel," said Brian Gordon, a 1991 College graduate. The Friday night opening was one of many celebrations held for Club members over the past week. The "grand opening" bash was thrown last night. Alumni said they were overwhelmed by the almost surreal clash of fragments from the Palestra, the Palladium and Houston Hall which filled the six-story building. "It's like a time warp," 1993 Wharton graduate Oliver Boulind said. While some said they were impressed by the Philly cheesesteak and pretzel stand housed in the basement of the Club, most alumni said it was the basement itself -- a juxtaposition of Smokey Joe's and the Palladium -- which they liked best. Audrey Beber, a 1992 College graduate, said she loved the "simulated Smoke's downstairs." "It's the same at Penn," 1992 College graduate Gregory David said. "Everyone's drinking too much, everyone's eating too much." Many of the intoxicated alumni-- who were stumbling about the six floors of the Club's meeting and hotel suites with martinis and cups of beer in their hands -- were lucky to find so many "Penn Club" logos covering shower curtains, shampoo and hand lotion bottles, matchboxes and "Maid Service, Please" signs to remind them where they were. Red and blue color schemes also run rampant throughout the Club, to the point at which one club member, 1993 College and Wharton graduate Karyn Yeske, became dizzy by the omnipresent hues. "Penn colors on the little lampshades, the blue and red chairs on top of the blue and red carpet -- it's overkill," she said. But Betty Marmon, Director of the Penn Club's New York Regional Office, could not get enough red and blue. Sporting red eyeglass frames, a red hair ribbon, and a blue and red dress, Marmon said, "I have an extensive red and blue wardrobe." She said the Club's colors and themes were supposed to remind students of New York, as well as the University. "We tried very hard to combine the best of Philadelphia and the best of New York in one club," Marmon said. The Club houses 39 guest suites -- all decorated with portraits of past University administrators and alumni. They are aimed at conveying "a Ritz-Carlton kind of feel," Marmon said. Other items of interest in the Club include the gothic chandeliers, persian rugs and brass candlesticks in the Club's version of the Benjamin Franklin Room. The Club is located on Clubhouse Row -- alongside clubs from Harvard University, Yale University and Cornell University -- in a restored historic building on West 44th Street in Manhattan. Approximately 8,200 University alumni have signed on as Charter Members, according to Membership Manager and 1989 College graduate Rachel Spasser. Each member pays from $40 to $860 in annual membership dues, depending on his or her age and hometown.