Houston City Club looks to future with new members, renovation.
By Patricia Baldwin
Photography by George Craig
In tennis, love means nothing. But the marriage of two premier racquet and athletic clubs in Houston is an absolutely smashing combination.
With the new year, the 28-year-old Houston City Club turns the page to a new chapter in its history with its “just merged” status with the University Club of Houston. And as Houston City Club welcomes the newly transferred members, the club also begins a multiphase, multimillion-dollar renovation project that encompasses updating and expansion of the club’s quarters in Greenway Plaza, one of Houston’s top master-planned, business developments. The club’s “inside the Loop” address offers an environment that is uniquely tailored to the needs of members and guests, as well as easily accessible from Houston’s Galleria area, River Oaks, West University Place, Texas Medical Center, and downtown.
Like any neighborhood, however, it’s the people who make the difference …
“If you really want to know the pulse of a club, you have to be around,” says Neil H. Tofsky, chairman of the club’s Board of Governors and president and CEO of Senterra Real Estate Group, a full-service real estate firm. With his office in 12 Greenway Plaza and his residence in nearby West University, Tofsky is “around” in both body and spirit. His favorite lunch of grilled fish and vegetables (with a wedge of lemon and touch of Dijon) has even become a staple on the club menu. And members don’t hesitate to stop by his luncheon table to discuss the club, the merger, or the fish of the day.
As the second chairman in the history of Houston City Club, Tofsky and his leadership role embody local history. The club was founded in 1979 under the guidance and leadership of Kenneth Schnitzer, who was the original developer of Greenway Plaza. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Senterra, Tofsky rose in the Schnitzer organization to direct the activities of the sprawling Greenway Plaza. Tofsky notes that it is an “honor to carry on the many outstanding aspects of the club originated during his tenure.”
Going forward, Tofsky has invited seven members of the University Club’s board to join the City Club board. He characterizes the board members as “active participants” in making the merger of the clubs successful by recruiting new members, attracting more young executives, making the board more diverse, and developing new programs. His prediction: “The merger is going to be good.”
With schematic in hand, manager Thomas Preuml gestures across the club’s entryway, describing the soon-to-be remodeled reception and lobby areas and a “new sense of arrival” for members and guests. The first phase of the extensive renovation, which gets under way in the first quarter, also will result in a new, all-day dining concept and restaurant; a sweeping and striking curve-shaped bar in a casual members lounge; and a new boardroom, among other amenities. The rich heritage of the University Club will be incorporated into the changes.
Preuml says the physical changes will “open up” the 137,000-square-foot club quarters, and he looks forward to having the capacity to schedule additional group exercise classes. He also eagerly anticipates having a gathering place for members to share lively conversations while missing the Bayou City traffic at rush hour.
“This is a very social club,” Preuml says. “Breakfast is a morning ritual — an unofficial club-within-the-club.” More organized clubs-within-the-club cover the gamut of interests, including gardening, books, bridge, bicycling, and more.
A second phase of construction, scheduled to begin mid-2007, will focus on the east wing of the club. The project will include expansion of the current cardio area, renovation and expansion of the women’s and men’s locker rooms, renovation of the spinning studio and snack bar, relocation of the club offices, a new yoga studio, and new pro shop space.
Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg … If a photo is, indeed, worth a thousand words, the photos on Greg Vinbladh’s office walls speak volumes about the tennis director’s tenure and connections within the tennis industry. Vinbladh, who helped open the club, has worked with players of all levels, with many of his students becoming tennis directors and teaching professionals at national and local levels.
But Vinbladh says that his current challenge is one of his most exciting: Get several hundred new tennis members involved in the club’s tennis programs and leverage that new energy to strengthen the competitive level of the club’s leagues and interclub play. Vinbladh credits tennis program coordinator Bob Lahti with creating much of the enthusiasm around the club’s tennis programs. A don’t-miss event: the Friday night tennis mixer.
Speaking of creativity, executive chef Jon Hebert, who got his book smarts at the Culinary Institute of America and his street smarts in New Orleans, launched in September an ever-evolving dinner menu for the club’s entry into evening dining Monday through Friday. There are, however, some common themes to the evening menus. Each has a selection of “shared bites” for the table. How about Tempura Avocado Fries (with chipotle essence and green goddess dressing) or Stir-Fried Chicken Lettuce Wraps (with shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts, savory sauce, and “mucho” iceberg lettuce) …
Of course, some things are to be “unshared.” Like, the Famous Seafood Gumbo, a recipe the chef inherited from his father, who last made an adjustment to the ingredients in 1974. The gumbo starts with a “mahogany roux,” but the chef is giving away no other secrets about this specialty. (See his recipe for crab cakes below.) Another recurring “unshared” selection is a member favorite: Houston City Club’s Roasted Poblano Soup (with crispy tortilla strips and Monterey Jack cheese.)
Among his “large plates” selections are Braised Boneless Short Ribs, Southwest Chicken Risotto, and a “Campfire” Salmon that members are “nutty about” — or so goes the dining room gossip. The chef also created the club’s signature non-alcoholic drink called the “Jolly Rancher,” a mix of raspberry tea and lemonade — updating the “Arnold Palmer” mix of iced tea and lemonade, a favorite golfer refresher.
So many people … so many stories … so little space. Continue wandering the halls of Houston City Club and there’s always someone else who can expound about yet another aspect of the multifaceted club. As Neil Tofsky notes, “It all comes down to the operating staff,” and he’s proud of the tenured group at the club. He doesn’t expect the few “pardon our dust” signs to slow activity in the coming months for members and guests. Progress, after all, has long been a watchword of the Greenway Plaza neighborhood.
HOUSTON CITY CLUB
Location: One City Club Drive, Houston.
Chairman, Board of Governors: Neil H. Tofsky.
Manager: Thomas Preuml.
Tennis: Greg Vinbladh.
Executive chef: Jon Hebert.
Membership: Tricia Hawks, Peri Mears.
Member relations: Erin Amy.
Athletics: Rich Andrae.
Fitness: Josh Mann.
Private events: Janie Dale.
Amenities: Social: Club serves lunch and dinner daily and is also open for private functions and special club events. Member dining room, snack bar, six private dining rooms. Main dining room a la carte dining Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reservations are not required, but recommended. Snack bar overlooks indoor courts and offers casual dining throughout daily business hours, including a complimentary breakfast bar. Tennis/Athletics: 10 indoor tennis courts with indirect lighting; racquetball courts; 1/10 mile running track; Life Fitness full circuit resistance equipment; group exercise studio, spinning studio, work out room with full circuit of free weights; separate cardiovascular room with treadmills, Lifecycles, StairMasters, Precor Elliptical, rowing, StarTrec, and other cardio machines. Full amenities in men's and women's locker rooms, plus whirlpool, sauna, and steam baths.
Web site: www.houstoncityclub.com
CHEF JON’S JUMBO LUMP CRAB CAKES
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
- 1 cup Japanese bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix ingredients together, except for
crabmeat and bread crumbs, until thoroughly combined. Gently fold in the
crabmeat. Portion into 3-ounce cakes and cover both sides with bread crumbs.
Lightly sauté until cakes are brown on each side. Place in oven for 4
minutes. Serve over your favorite slaw and sauce.
GOOD NEIGHBORS
By the by, the Houston City Club is located adjacent to the Lakewood
Church. That’s Joel Osteen’s megachurch that once upon a time was the Compaq
Center home of the Houston Rockets. Obviously, Gilbert K. Chesterton was
correct when he said, “We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God
makes our next door neighbor.”