The Edgeworth Club was founded as a social club under a charter granted by the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County on April 15, 1893 for the purpose of “promoting intercourse and friendship among its members and their social enjoyment, and for the purpose of furnishing facilities for bowling, athletic and other innocent sports, and the erection and maintenance of a building or buildings therefor.”.

The borough of Edgeworth, where the Club now stands, was named for Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849), an Anglo-Irish novelist from County Longford, Ireland. She was the daughter of Richard Lovell Edgeworth (1744-1817) , a well-known author and inventor of his time who greatly encouraged his daughter’s career (although with allegedly vast editorial control).

          Maria Edgeworth                                                                   Richard Lovell Edgeworth
              (1767-1849)                                                                                    (1744-1817)

Due to intersecting bloodlines and the loss of many documents that would provide a definitive provenance to the Club's founder, it is ventured that the origin of the name "Edgeworth Club" can be traced to a portrait that our members lovingly call "Mr. Edgeworth." Several historians and portrait preservationists have concluded that "Mr. Edgeworth" is indeed Richard Edgeworth, M.P. (1701-1769), the original builder of Edgeworthstown House in County Longford, the grandfather of Maria Edgeworth, and namesake of our Club.

                                               Richard Edgeworth, M.P. (1701-1769)
                                                          A.K.A. "Mr. Edgeworth"

The first Edgeworth Clubhouse was leased from Ezra P. Young in 1893 and stands today as a private residence at 219 Meadow Lane, Edgeworth. Facilities included two bowling alleys, a billiard room and a ballroom.

In 1898 the Club erected a new building, designed by Rutan & Russell, Architects, on the southeast corner of Academy and Centennial Avenues, Sewickley. The building was totally destroyed by fire early on the morning of December 24, 1928. During its 30 years of service, this Clubhouse included four bowling alleys, a billiard room and a formal ballroom. At first two, then later four tennis courts were developed on the Clubhouse grounds.

From 1900 to 1912 the Edgeworth Club included a 9 hole golf course on property rented from the Way family between Academy Avenue & Chestnut Road. Following the fire of 1928, the Clubhouse on East Drive was designed by Architect Brandon Smith. It was completed and formally opened in June 1931. The new Clubhouse offered attractive apartments, a grand ballroom and stage, two squash courts, six bowling alleys, four tennis courts, and improved dining facilities. A swimming pool was added in 1935.

In 1957, the Edgeworth Club was selected by the United States Lawn Tennis Association as host for the famed International Wightman Cup Tennis Matches. The matches were extremely successful and returned to the Club in 1959.

Major renovation and expansion of the Clubhouse was completed in 1987. Improved facilities included a new bar and lounge, an expanded, modernized kitchen and a porch for outdoor summer dining. Central air conditioning and revitalization of the Clubhouse interior completed the project.

In 1996 the bar and lounge addition was redecorated and services were added to utilize the area as a dedicated dining spaces for adult members. In 2000 the Club began to modernize the apartment facilities by adding air-conditioning units and updating the décor.

In 2002 the Board of Directors commissioned Cornell University students to do a building and use survey of the Edgeworth Club. The survey was completed and presented to the membership at the 2003 annual meeting. In the fall of 2003 a long-range planning committee was appointed to explore the existing building and to examine possible changes to the facility. In the fall of 2004 the committee retained the services of the reknowned architecture firm of Astorino to further plan the future layout of the Club.

In 2005 Astorino presented the Board with a master plan that included a new and relocated bar, kitchen expansion, family dining, new locker facilities, meeting rooms, storage space, snack bar and fitness areas. After some internecine wrangling amongst the board members, the master plan was divided into two phases:

Phase I of the plan was then approved by the membership in February of 2007. The plan included kitchen renovations, the building of a 24-foot addition to the existing bar turning it into a family dining area/grill room, enclosing the existing porch and building our adult bar, and building a new terrace. The plan also included the construction of a new board room, cosmetic changes to the dining room and living room, and upgrades to the HVAC systems.

Phase II began in August of 2007, when the plans were forced to once again change. Infrastructure adjustments deemed necessary during this phase presented the Club with 1800 square feet of unplanned additional space. That space was converted into a state-of-the-art fitness center that includes machine, free weight, and aerobics/Pilates space. In addition, a new beach-entry wading pool was installed as a result of the green space being excavated to allow for new storm water retention systems.

Come visit the new Edgeworth Club to see what we can offer you. We’re not just a social club, we’re a lifestyle.