The Pacific-Union Club

No democrats, no women, no reporters basically sums it up.  This is a very private mens club, but wives are allowed to accompany their husbands by invitation and within specific constraints/conditions.  Women are also allowed for specific parties/receptions, but again conditions apply.  Meaning there are some places they are never allowed or only at specific times and they often are required to use the building's back door instead of the grand California Street entrance.  Membership is strictly by invitation only and quite a grueling, long process (some people wait for 20 years to be considered and approved).  If you are invited, you'll be among the very elite including business magnates, dignitaries, presidents, and some who just earned their money the really old fashioned way... they inherited it.  As for the dues, you know what they say about having to ask how much things cost.

The building itself is grand, opulent, and ornate.  It even smells like history.  It survived the 1906 earthquake but, the interior did burn so everything you see dates from then.  An interesting architectural fact it that when the Flood family did give it over to the respective Pacific Club and Union Club that then became the Pacific Union Club of today, the east and west wings on the ground floor were added.  Prior to that the structure was square.  The west wing contains the dining room with one of the largest wood carved ceilings I've ever seen.  Very Bavarian castle like. The beams are massive, dark, and crammed with details.  The east wing contains the lounge. It has multiple seating arrangements/piano/two fireplaces and another wood carved ceiling bordering a central fresco reminiscent of the NYC public library reading rooms.  Both wings are the same size, enormous, and completely open without any interior floor to ceiling support beams/columns so one has a completely unobstructed view of everyone in the place.  Around 350 were present for the reception I attended and you could see everyone.  From the street it is deceiving just how long these rooms are because they actually start from the center hall and have only two windows that face California Street.  

Anterooms off each wing in the front of the house are connected to the center hall which is part of the original design.  For as dark as the woodwork, fireplaces, and furnishings are in the wings, the anterooms walls were light, had floor to ceiling mirrors, enormous windows, and contain lighter furnishings.  The marble center hall/entrance from the front door leads to a large open marble center room (I'm sure used for dancing/parties at one time) with niches in each corner containing enormous urns holding palm trees.  The ceiling is a massive glass skylight (partially stained, but mostly opaque) that acts as the central light source for all of the interior rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors.  The hall continues to the back of the house to the very grand central staircase which leads to a landing with palladium windows and then splits to either side and continues to the 2nd floor.  Bathrooms were small and obscurely positioned, but clearly this is due to the age of the building and design aesthetics of the time.  They were nice and contained individual cubicles with proper wood doors and hand towels, but certainly not the nicest indoor outhouses I've come across.  

The only thing that did surprise me a little was the lack of paintings/art on the walls.  There were none.  However, this house is full of massive windows and in between each window were wall mounted chandeliers so empty wall space was really unavailable.  It still looked a little odd like something was missing.

Service from the staff is exactly what you would expect.  Men (some women) in variations of tuxedos and morning suits with gold and red waistcoats, tails, and white gloves.  No idle chit chat from them, rather all business.  The reception I was attending was only cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, but the food was plentiful, fresh, and good.  You never had to wait for anything or even move to get it yourself.  They were right there at all times anticipating your every need.  Cameras and cell phones are strictly prohibited so if you get invited in, don't think you are going to be able to wander around freely taking photos and posting them on Facebook.  You will be watched and not every nook and cranny of the place is available once you do get inside.  This also explains why you can never find any pictures of the inside anywhere on the Internet.  Don't push it with trying to sneak a photo or wandering where you shouldn't be.  Just enjoy it while you can.

They don't make places like this anymore.  It's like stepping back in time and a real treat so if you get the chance to attend an event, forget whatever else may be an option and just do it.  Dress appropriately... your hoodie and sneakers ain't gonna fly with these people.

This ain't it chief.. please go get a toys R us membership and call it a day. Bypass the rich and powerful bigots.

My friends and I were ESCORTED by a white man off the parking premises by a worker, Adam Spear in a very rude way that felt very incriminating especially since the four of us are brown women. When confronted I let him know it was racism, by assuming who can and cannot be at the establishment. Also when confronted he raised his voice refused to listen to us and used his Black girlfriend as an excuse for his transgression, validating his actions by it, "Its not a colored thing I have a black girlfriend!" It was pathetic, rude, assuming and racist by the way he addressed us and used his body to control where we could and could not walk. He used his position of power to invalidate and diminish our concerns with his actions. I'm sure if we were white tourists we would not have been treated as so. Also if he would've simply said "this is private property, I'm sorry you can't be here" would've sufficed but he approached us and blocked us with his arms as if we were going to commit a crime. This was also our first time at this part of the city and it happened near the parking lot on Sacramento and Mason st. If this is the culture of the establishment, that these behaviors are allowed and excused, is this what they stand for? I demand his firing, this can't be the San Francisco I know when there's still adults like this, who do not recognize their actions are influenced by racial motivations and as a white man he does not get to decide what is and isn't discriminatory.

There is a woman who works there who is a horrible person. She is extremely rude. Beyond rude. She needs to be fired. She was working there yesterday evening. She was so aweful and rude to us that she ruined my friends and mine trip to San Francisco. She needs to be fired. I actually have never met anyone as rude as she was. And that's saying a lot. If she represents this club than this club is a piece of pretentious dog shit.

Very beautiful building and amazing facilities. The food is also pretty amazing, with a solid chef. Make sure you wear a jacket and tie

I think this is a great club I wish I had the money to join. They have a right to restrict who they admit. If you don't like it to bad go create your own club.

We're about as Berkeley as you can be, but we get an annual invitation for a dinner-dance at PUC.  It is elegant, royal, impeccable service and gorgeous.  I could never afford to belong or go regularly, but if you ever get the chance, it is one of those incredible things you never forget.

My father-in-law is a member here.  I really recommend the roast duck or, for mid-day dinner, the crab cake sandwich, a member favorite.

Unfortunately, I became inebriated and was forced to learn the error of my ways by suffering a walloping by the house pandybat.

They shouldn't serve so much liquor there if they don't expect you to get drunk.. what the f*ck?  I guess there's an upside and downside to marrying up.

I went here once with a business colleague.  Definitely a pretty amazing venue, though most of the denizens have one foot in the grave.  There was a good selection of items on the lunch menu, though the food itself was uninspired and rather bland.  No idea how much it cost, except that if you need to ask you probably are not member material.

Food: Satisfactory.

Ambiance: Stuffy. Quiet.

Decor/Architecture: Regal, antique. What I wouldn't give to spend a day perusing the library.

Red tape: Disappointing (women are not allowed in most places in the building). I would have loved to the gentleman in my dinner party down to the underground pool. I do however, appreciate that this is a men's club and believe that gender specific organizations are an important and time honored tradition of American society.  

Bottom line: If you have the opportunity to enter this historic San Francisco landmark, do so. It was a wonderful experience that I feel lucky to have had and shared with friends.