Comparison · 6 material differences
The Chicago Club vs Jonathan Club
This comparison was generated on request from the records. It carries no editorial verdict and is not indexed. The published comparisons are listed on the compare page.
Read down each column for one organization, across a row for the difference. A bronze mark at the left of a cell means the organizations differ on that row. A dash or “not published” means the organization does not disclose the fact; it is not a zero.
What the records say
- Gender: The Chicago Club: No published gender; Jonathan Club: Open to men and women since a 1987 vote to admit women as full members.
- Annual dues: The Chicago Club: Not publicly disclosed. The only figure on record is historic: Wikipedia states that membership cost $100 when the club was founded in 1869; Jonathan Club: The club publishes no fee information. The only figure in circulation is a reported initiation fee of about $50,000 from a 2024 secondary source..
Side by side
| The Chicago Club | Jonathan Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | ||
| Type | Private club | Private club |
| Founded | 1869 (Wikipedia dates the founding to January 1869 by former members of the Dearborn Club, with Philip Wadsworth as first president and a first meeting on 1 May 1869; the club's own public site carries no history page.) | 1895 (Two dates appear at the downtown clubhouse entrance: 1894, when the club was formed as a political club, and 1895, when it was chartered in California as a non-political social club. The club bases its anniversaries on 8 June 1895.) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, United States | Los Angeles, United States |
| Geographic footprint | Single clubhouse at 81 East Van Buren Street at Michigan Avenue, in the Loop | Two clubhouses: the Town Club at 545 South Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles, open since 1924, and the Beach Club on the sand in Santa Monica, operating since 1927 |
| Members | Not publicly disclosed by the club. Wikipedia gives approximately 1,200 members; that has not been independently verified and carries no current date. | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia reports more than 650 female members but gives no total. |
| Chapters | Single clubhouse; no chapters | 2 |
| Primary audience | Not publicly disclosed. The club's membership page consists of one sentence stating that membership is by invitation only, plus a contact for the Director of Membership. | Not publicly disclosed. The club does not publish eligibility criteria; secondary sources describe membership as by invitation only. |
| Typical member | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia records that charter members included Anson Stager, Robert Todd Lincoln, Potter Palmer, Marshall Field and George Pullman, but the club publishes nothing about its present membership. | Not publicly disclosed. Wikipedia reports more than 650 female members; no total membership, occupational or age profile is published. |
| Qualification | ||
| Gender | No published gender | Open to men and women since a 1987 vote to admit women as full membersWomen guests had been limited to certain floors, dining rooms and entrances as recently as 1975; Wikipedia reports more than 650 female membersverified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Invitation required | Yes | Yes |
| Sponsor required | Not documented | Not documented |
| Application process | There is no public application route. The club states that membership is by invitation only and directs enquiries about membership requirements to its Director of Membership by email. | Not publicly disclosed. Secondary sources describe membership as by invitation only; no application form, sponsorship rule or committee process could be verified, and the club's own site could not be retrieved. |
| Selectivity | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Cost | ||
| Annual dues | Not publicly disclosed. The only figure on record is historic: Wikipedia states that membership cost $100 when the club was founded in 1869verified September 2026 · source ↗ | The club publishes no fee information. The only figure in circulation is a reported initiation fee of about $50,000 from a 2024 secondary source. |
| Monthly dues | The club publishes no dues or initiation figure and no reliable current reporting of one was located. | Not publicly disclosed. Secondary reporting states that monthly dues are payable in addition to the initiation fee to remain in good standing, but gives no amount.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Initiation fee | Not publicly disclosedverified September 2026 · source ↗ | Not publicly disclosed by the club. Reported at approximately $50,000 as of 2024 in a Thrillist survey of Los Angeles members-only clubs, cited by Wikipedia. The club neither publishes nor confirms the figure, and the underlying source is a lifestyle publication rather than a business title, so the number should be treated as indicative only.verified September 2026 · source ↗ |
| Membership term | Not documented | Not documented |
| Structure | ||
| Meeting frequency | No published programme; the clubhouse operates for dining, meetings, events and accommodation | Not documented |
| Peer forums | Not documented | Not documented |
| Confidentiality | Cell phone use for voice communication is limited to phone booths, private meeting rooms and guest rooms; discreet non-verbal use such as texting and web browsing is permitted throughout the club. | Not publicly disclosed |
| Time commitment | Not documented | Not documented |
| Organized as | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused | Clubhouse premises, Event-focused |
| Confidential peer forums | No | No |
| Local chapters | No | No |
| Virtual membership | No | No |
| Online community | No | No |
| Member directory | Not documented | Not documented |
| Events | Yes | Not documented |
| Programming | ||
| Educational programming | Not documented | Not documented |
| Leadership development | No | No |
| Retreats | No | No |
| Travel | Partial | Not documented |
| Family programming | Not documented | Not documented |
| Spouse and partner programming | Not documented | Not documented |
| Next-generation programming | Not documented | Not documented |
| Investment discussions | No | No |
| Investment opportunities | No | No |
| Philanthropic component | Partial | Not documented |
| Networking emphasis | Medium | Not documented |
| Social emphasis | High | High |
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Sources
Drawn from the sources listed on each page: The Chicago Club · Jonathan Club