NEW: Fond memories of a downtown legacy

The University Club, a downtown Sarasota landmark that has hosted thousands of business lunches over the past 40 years, held one big, empty-the-cupboards dinner June 20.

In fact, former club President David Osborne dubbed the feast the literal “Last Supper,” as the club's owners decided to shut their door in response to rapidly declining membership base. The club, which has been operating since 1970, will probably file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

“Things change, life moves on,” says John Cranor, the chairman of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, who attended dozens of club functions as the head of the New College Foundation. “But there will never be any place quite like the University Club.”

Osborne says he had tears in his eyes during the curtain call dinner. All the food was cleared from storage to prepare the meal. And a club member bought champagne for all the staff, a gesture to honor the club's white-glove style service over the years.

Osborne even allowed a sacred rule of the club to be broken during the going-out party: Staff were allowed to address guests by first names.

Cranor is one of several local executives lamenting the loss of the club, which is on the 12th floor of the Bank of America building on Main Street in downtown Sarasota. For starters, the view of the city from the club's large windows, says Cranor and others, is unrivaled.

Cranor also joked about spending hours trying to locate the New College seal among the other college seals near the front door. He lauded the club's library and was thankful for the years he spent in it for New College press briefings.

Local attorney Dan Bailey, a onetime club board member, said one of his favorite things about the club was how it closed the generational gap between father and son.

And he offered his own reasoning behind the closing. Says Bailey: “There was a changing of demographics. Back in the day, there were few nice places to go for special occasions. Now that there are so many elegant restaurants opening in Sarasota, the University Club became less exclusive.”
— Alex Mahadevan