1522 Latimer St.
Philadelphia, PA
215-731-9909
click for directions

Open
Mon-Fri:

6:30 pm to 3 am
Sat-Sun:
7 pm to 3 am

Dinner Menu

See Food & Drink


About the Pen & Pencil Club

In 1892, Philadelphia had seven morning and six evening newspapers. The need was obvious: all those reporters and editors needed a place to drink, to socialize, to bitch and to unwind.

So the Pen & Pencil Club was formed by combining the Stylus Club, the Journalist Club of Philadelphia and the Reporters Club. Under its bylaws, the club is controlled by a working press. The club's founders foresaw "...an oasis, a home, a place of relaxation."

The club has seen many well-known faces in its history. President William Howard Taft once engaged in bar banter at the P&P until 5 am, after giving his bodyguards the slip. George M. Cohan felt at home here. So did past members Red Smith and Damon Runyon.

More than a century later, the tradition continues. The Pen & Pencil Club is the oldest continuously operating press club in America, and the second oldest in the world.

Current
Board Members:

Officers for terms
until February 2007:


President:
Chris Brennan, Daily News

Vice-President:
Marcia Gelbart, Inquirer

Treasurer:
Kevin Bevan, Daily News

Secretary:
Steve Volk, Philadelphia Weekly

Board of Governors:
Stu Bykofsky, Daily News
Josh Cornfield, Metro
Tom Fitzgerald, Inquirer
Michael Schaffer, Inquirer
Mike Strug, WCAU-10