This Week in National Press Club History

May 21, 1985: After 33 months of reconstruction, a dedication ceremony for the completely renovated National Press Building is celebrated, nearly six decades after the original building cornerstone was laid in 1926. Two time capsules full of Club momentoes are placed behind a new cornerstone next to the old one, and both are encased in the lobby wall next to the building’s main entrance on 14th Street NW.

May 23, 2006: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), a prospective candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, chooses the Club to deliver a major policy address, arguing that the United States should not be dependent on foreign oil, and that by 2025 we could do that by using more ethanol-based fuel.

May 24, 1973: Actress Carol Channing, singer, actress, and comedienne, renowned for her Broadway roles in “Hello, Dolly” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” appears at the Club for a production of “Lorelei.”

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s century-plus history as the world’s largest, most prestigious club run by journalists through lobby displays, events, panel discussions, and its extensive oral history project.

For more information on the activities of the History & Heritage Committee, or to join the Committee, contact Chair Gilbert Klein at [email protected].

Be sure to check for more of our history at www.press.org/about/history