Birmingham – and most other cities for that matter – had never seen anything like The Club when it opened in 1951. The Birmingham News called it a “slice of fairyland…a festive occasion, in perfect taste, with an overall-plush dignity.” The National Architect called the building “magnificent,” and Alabama, the News Magazine of the South billed it as “an architectural jewel in a setting of natural grandeur.”

The idea and moving force behind The Club came from a man who practically became synonymous with it: Robert S. Smith. A Birmingham native, Smith worked for 48 years at Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, a division of U.S. Steel, retiring in 1964 as the company’s executive secretary.

In hindsight, it is clear that Smith was a natural for creating The Club. A tireless worker, he loved Birmingham and was motivated to make it the best city possible. In addition to founding The Club, Smith was active in numerous charitable and civic activities. He was one of 22 founders of the Crippled Children’s Clinic and served as a clinic trustee and officer for 50 years. At age 17, he joined TCI. From there, Smith embarked on his long, distinguished career.

At TCI, Smith’s responsibilities included providing entertainment, food and lodging for visiting U.S. Steel executives. In that role, he quickly learned about catering, banquet management, food service and entertainment. Smith wanted to provide visiting U.S. Steel executives with the very best, and part of his motivation was his desire to show out-of-town guests the best Birmingham has to offer. That led to his idea for a private dining club that would be second to none in the nation. Thus, his idea for The Club.

Smith and a small group of investors incorporated The Club in 1947, but they soon found that getting it up and running wasn’t easy. Even finding a place for it proved difficult. Smith first looked at a site on the crest of Red Mountain, but the land for sale there was too expensive, too hard to access and lacked needed utilities. He then turned to his second choice: a wooded site at the intersection of Lakeshore Drive and U.S. 31 in the Hollywood section of Homewood. At a substantial financial risk, Smith and his wife bought 20 acres at that site. But residents in the area opposed his plan for The Club and successfully rejected it. At that point, Smith again looked into land atop Red Mountain, and The Club investors acquired 25 acres there that previously had been a goat farm.

The architect, young and talented John Davis, had scouted the site and was eager to put his designs in place. Instead of concentrating strictly on the structure itself, Davis made the sweeping, panoramic view of downtown Birmingham the key component in his plans. The structure itself would be non-traditional, featuring circular and parabolic forms. Its design was distinctive but not garish. The Club would complement and blend in with the mountaintop site, not compete with it.

Once underway in 1949, construction was worse than tenuous because of horrendous underground conditions. The site was above numerous abandoned red ore mines and shafts, which presented continual problems since the foundation’s concrete columns had to be poured through the mines to bedrock. There was so much space and uncertain variables underground that the first two attempts to establish a foundation failed. The building’s footprint was moved three times before a foundation was successfully put into plane. But, slowly, the building took shape.

When completed, The Club was showplace comparable with any dining establishment in the nation. It was elegantly appointed, architectural masterpiece, providing a stunning view of the Birmingham skyline – especially at night. Its food and entertainment were superb, and its patrons were dazzled.

To meet the demand of members, The Club has expanded a number of times. Adjoining the original Ballroom with its raised, lighted dance floor, the Gold Room was added in 1957, the Grill in 1966 and the Inn Room in 1968. Seven flexible Staterooms on the ground floor were added in 1978, with decorative, dancing fountains above, on the terrace. Staterooms can accommodate as few as 10 people. This trick is largely accomplished thanks to partition walls, which can be raised or lowered.

In 1985, the Grand Ballroom was added at the western side of The Club. It can handle 800-seated guests or 1,500 standing. Visitors to functions in this room marvel at the Birmingham night skyline as seen through the large windows. The Grand Ballroom also has a touch of early Birmingham in that two chandeliers came from the ballroom of the original Tutwiler Hotel.

Always working at keeping in tune with the times, “The View” was added in 2000.  It offers a bistro atmosphere with gourmet food and business casual dress.

In 2002, The Club bought an additional 6 acres of adjacent land, including all of the property between its south parking lots and Valley View Apartments. The Club has also provided more than 400 self-parking spaces for its members and guests, with optional valet parking.

The Club’s membership was enhanced in 1994 with its merger with The Downtown Club. Twenty of The Downtown Club’s fine art paintings acquired through the merger are now on loan to the Birmingham Museum of Fine Art, and five more are on view at The Club.

The Club has been a Birmingham conversation piece for more than 50 years – a virtually unique setting for dining, entertainment and functions of all kinds. Such amenities, along with its view of the city below, have made The Club a popular venue for wedding receptions, many involving grandchildren of its original members. The city it overlooks has experienced dramatic change since The Club opened, and those changes are reflected in its membership today. The Club remains a revered asset for the Birmingham community.