OSSIER
The Duquesne Club
WINTER 2020
Welcome to the premier issue of Dossier. A sophisticated complement to Avenue 6, Dossier offers an in-depth look into the societies, people, culture and refined qualities that set the Duquesne Club apart on a national level. At first glance, Dossier distinguishes itself from its forebear with a custom shape and size. But the style and substance of Dossier have a distinct look and feel as well. Flip through the pages for an eyeful of bold, beautiful images and glossy, quick-hit stories. Designed for daily use, Dossier includes a Club directory of phone numbers that makes it indispensable for members in addition to the calendar of upcoming events exclusive to the Club. As you make your early spring plans, keep your copy of Dossier at the ready as an easy-to-use resource at your fingertips. And never fear: We’ll be back with the Avenue 6 you know and love in early summer. See you at the Club.
Scott Neill Secretary and General Manager Duquesne Club
T H E
D U Q U E S N E
C L U B
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KINDRED SPIRITS
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PROFILE
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SOCIETY PAGES
The heavenly creation known as Cognac.
A conversation with Club sommelier Kevin Reynolds.
An inside look at the Literary Society.
ON THE BLOCK The latest scoop on to-die-for treasures.
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UP CLOSE & PERSONAL From celluloid to linen, a legend in the making.
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ROOM TO MOVE
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IN THE Q
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AT YOUR SERVICE
The many faces of the Cigar Bar.
Can’t-miss Club events for the upcoming season.
A directory of helpful Club contacts.
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KINDRED SPIRITS
SIP AND SAVOR A LOWDOWN ON THE HEAVENLY CREATION KNOWN AS COGNAC.
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he care and dedication that goes into creating Cognac makes it especially sublime – years, and even decades, are required to get from the earthly vine to the angel’s share. So esteemed is the process that artists have taken to glorifying each step, to divine effect.
In the 1980s, Art Deco artist Erté designed seven bottles capturing each Cognac step. From vine, harvest and distillation to aging, tasting, spirit and the angel’s share – when the spirit loses a bit of its volume to evaporation – each Cognac milestone is immortalized in a bottle of the rarest blend from the Grande Champagne region. (One blend dates back to 1892, the year Erté was born.) Courvoisier stored the collection for 30 years and released an eighth bottle, sold for $10,000, in 2008.
So esteemed is the process that artists have taken to glorifying each step, to divine effect.
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KINDRED SPIRITS
RÉMY MARTIN LOUIS XIII BLACK PEARL COGNAC
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Another exceptional French brandy to behold is Rémy Martin’s Louis XIII Black Pearl Cognac. Made from a blend of 1,200 eaux-de-vie aged from 40 to 115 years, this very limited Cognac (only 786 bottles available) is packaged in a black crystal Baccarat decanter similar to the distiller’s classic Louis XIII flacon.
Like fine wine, each Cognac blend offers its own taste profile, and this single-tier spirit has aromas of vanilla, cream, spiced flowers and fruit that precede a palate blending flavors of passion fruit, ginger, nutmeg and sandalwood.
Initial Choice
The original Cognac classifications date back to the early 1800s and refer to the years and quality of the spirit, specifically the age of the youngest eau-de-vie used to make it. Here, we demystify the Cognac designations and what exactly those alluring initials mean.
Like fine
VS – Only eaux-de-vie at least two years
wine,
old can be used to make a VS Cognac, which stands for “Very Special.”
each
VSOP – Short for “Very Superior Old Pale,”
blend
this category covers eau-de-vie aged for at least four years and includes designations such as “Old” or “Reserve.”
XO – The official age for XO,
Cognac offers its own taste profile.
which stands for “Extra Old,” is now 10 years, increased from six years in 2018. Cognacs such as “Napoleon” or “Old Reserve” are equivalent to XO Cognac.
XXO – The newest category of Cognac requires the youngest eaux-de-vie in any blend to be aged for a minimum of 14 years.
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PROFILE 6 I Dossier
KEVIN REYNOLDS
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e oversees the most enviable wine collection in Pittsburgh, perhaps in the United States. He can dissect the alcohol by volume levels that affect tax structures in every state and predict how many years until the fruit starts dropping in a specific bottle of wine. A vertical selection with substantial ages is like a game for him. But the true superpower of Kevin Reynolds is his ability to remember the name that goes with each face that rotates through the Duquesne Club’s revolving doors. As the director of Club services, Reynolds has amassed an extensive wine expertise rivaled only by his encyclopedic knowledge of the Club’s members, accrued over
37 years here. Reynolds began his career as the backdoor attendant, then moved to the front door, where he got to know the membership. “At that point, I was noticed more for my memory retention,” Reynolds says during an interview inside the Club’s $2 million wine cellar. “I learned all the members’ names and I knew who they were.” That personal touch launched a career move in 1985 that would lead to his role supervising the front of the house, Club security and the beverage operation. Most members know Reynolds simply as the Duquesne Club’s revered sommelier, responsible for developing all the Club’s wine lists, dinners, events and programs.
Tasting, tasting, tasting, is what I feel developed my education more than anything.
And what a program it is. The Club’s current wine list boasts 2,000 bordeauxs, a number unheard of among restaurants open to the public.
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PROFILE
World-renowned celebrities in the wine business like Robert Parker have graced the Club for historic events, thanks to Reynolds’ endeavors. And La Cave, created in 1999 under Reynolds’ direction, can host standup events for 25 people and sit-down dinners for 12. Groups such as the Women of the Club have invited Reynolds to give informal presentations and tastings of his favorite wine selections. Interested in holding a tasting of your own? Reynolds knows all the best spots for hosting yours and can share all the details on how to order wines for a holiday event. The self-taught sommelier has taken wine classes at Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh and the first course of the Court of Master Sommeliers. But Reynolds says practical tastings through the years truly developed his palate. “Tasting, tasting, tasting, is what I feel developed my education more than anything,” Reynolds says, adding that his favorite wine of the moment is Shafer Hillside Select 2005. CLICK TO VIEW THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH REYNOLDS RECORDED AT LA CAVE.
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The Club’s current wine list boasts 2,000 bordeauxs, a number unheard of among restaurants open to the public.
The Duquesne Club’s La Cave
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SOCIETY PAGES
KEEPING IT LIT
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or avid readers, the upcoming release of a juicy new thriller or jaw-dropping expose is bested only by the opportunity to come face-to-face with its creator. Established in 2012, the Duquesne Club’s Literary Society celebrates and shares the cherished pastime of reading through events like its Luncheon Speaker Series and evening Fireside Chats. The society annually supports “Autumn
in Spring,” a gala that benefits Autumn House Press, one of the nation’s most respected not-forprofit literary publishers. This year’s charity event on May 4 features notable Pittsburghers sharing their favorite poems.
And to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading.”
The Literary Society even takes its gatherings beyond the cozy nooks of the Club to introduce book enthusiasts to accomplished writers and timeless tomes in theaters and other writerly haunts. In February, for example, – Jane Austen, Pride and the society Prejudice invited a limited number of members to a VIP reception and lecture at Point Park University’s Pittsburgh Playhouse to meet Jim Acosta, CNN chief White House
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SOCIETY PAGES
correspondent and author of the new book, “The Enemy of the People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America.”
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The Literary Society has scheduled an impressive line-up of events to kick off the decade. Highlights include a Fireside Chat with the Club’s own Grant Oliphant, who debuts his ‘90s-era thriller “Ring of Years” in March; an evening reception and lecture featuring Anne Gardiner Perkins,
historian and author of “Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant” in April; and a theater night with preshow cocktails and dinner before enjoying Neil Simon’s classic play “Barefoot in the Park” at the O’Reilly Theater in May.
Established in 2012, the Duquesne Club’s Literary Society celebrates and shares the cherished pastime of reading through numerous events.
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UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
Last Days of Steel, 50” x 68”, oil on linen, 2012
FROM CELLULOID TO LINEN, A LEGEND IN THE MAKING
The oilon-linen painting is as much a fixture in the Billiard Room as the pair of noble tables awaiting the next round of sport.
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UP CLOSE & PERSONAL 16 I Dossier
Last Days of Steel RON DONOUGHE OIL ON LINEN, CA. 2012
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n the Billiard Room, the lively hot spot in the first floor of the Duquesne Club, history holds its breath. Yes, the smack of cue ball against stripes and solids clicks and clacks along the hushed green of the baize – a time-honored tradition dating back to the rise of Pittsburgh’s steel barons. Yes, conversations at the bar tend toward the topical. Yet with a suite of legendary details paying homage to the storied space (the engraved silver trophies of bygone billiard tournaments still stand proudly), none are as symbolic as Last Days of Steel.
The oil-on-linen painting is as much a fixture in the Billiard Room as the pair of noble tables awaiting the next round of sport. Last Days of Steel is the heartwarming hearth for all who gather here: the dying embers recall a dearly departed industry; the fleeting sparks illuminate the hulking shadows of the Cambria Iron Works; and the story behind its creation goes deeper than a mere tribute to a long-gone furnace. The painting is but the final frame in local lore dating back generations. The work of art, it turns out, is based on rare film footage. At first, Last Days of Steel was a proud steel mill in Johnstown that birthed major technological innovations copied throughout the world. Cambria Iron Works’ most revered heritage was immortalized in “The Mystery of Steel,” a film produced by The Magic Lantern and exhibited at the Heritage Discovery Center’s Iron & Steel Gallery. But when painter Ron Donoughe meets multimedia producer Greg Kurkjan from The Magic Lantern in Bloomfield, serendipity becomes the muse. And, evidenced by his frame-by-frame
editing process to source the material, Donoughe has struck the richest ore of artistic expression. Now in the permanent collection of the Duquesne Club, the 4-foot-by-6-foot oil-on-linen Last Days of Steel is the final painting that Donoughe created for his Johnstown exhibition in 2012.
Documenting the Western Pennsylvania
The Lawrenceville-based artist has been painting the Western Pennsylvania landscape for 35 years, with his work on display at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, The University Museum at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Senator John Heinz History Center, and many corporate and private collections.
landscape through painting has been my focus for the last 30 years. – Ron Donoughe
Last Days of Steel, by Ron Donoughe, is proudly displayed in the Billiard Room.
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ON THE BLOCK 18 I Dossier
The latest scoop on objets d’art sold at auction at unprecedented prices.
PATEK PHILIPPE GRANDMASTER CHIME
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rom contemporary art to Visconti fountain pens, the auction block is the go-to spot for the world’s most coveted trinkets and treasures. A Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime captured the mind-blowing amount of $31.9 million USD during the eighth biennial charity auction Only Watch in Geneva in November. Featuring two dials in rose gold and black ebony, it’s the first and only version of this timepiece ever produced in stainless steel. The case boasts a patented reversing mechanism and handguilloched hobnail pattern.
But the Patek wasn’t the only record-breaker that day. In selling 50 oneoff luxury timepieces, the Christie’s auction itself raised a total of almost $39.7 million USD that day to fund research on Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease affecting 250,000 children, adolescents and young adults around the world.
A Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime captured the mind-
Prior to the Grandmaster blowing Chime reference amount of 6400A-010, the $31.9 most expensive timepiece sold at million auction was the Patek USD Philippe Henry Graves Supercomplication pocket watch, which garnered nearly $23.9 million USD at Sotheby’s Important Watches in 2014. The most expensive wristwatch was the renowned Rolex Daytona “Paul Newman” owned by the actor himself, which went for $18.2 million USD in 2017. DC
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ROOM TO MOVE 20 I Dossier
THE UNIFYING HEADS OF THE 1901-04 EXPANSION
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he carved wooden faces in the Cigar Bar of the Duquesne Club have a rich history dating back to the large addition built between 1901 and 1904. During that time, Pittsburgh architects Frank E. Rutan and Frederick A. Russell added a new café to adjoin the Billiard Room on the Club’s first floor. When it was built, the new café was described as “a striking example of old English carving. Oak is the timber used and the carving is exquisite.” The wood paneling and carving in the cafe, which is now known as the Cigar Bar, are indeed exquisite. DC
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Perhaps the most interesting feature is the many varied heads - male and female, idealized and grotesque – that decorate Rutan & Russell’s cafe. Their use of these carved heads to unify the interior design is obvious, for they also appear in the newel post at the base of the great staircase, in the capitals in the Reading Room, and in several surviving pieces of furniture from this period, including chairs and a table located on the first floor of the Club. Rutan & Russell’s classicizing details and furniture were intended to provide unity and an up-to-date style to the interior, while the design for their exterior addition pays homage to the Romanesque exterior of architects Longfellow, Alden, & Harlow.
Reading Room
Great Staircase
Reading Room
Reading Room
Great Staircase
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in the
FEBRUARY
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Jazz on Fridays with Matt Klumpp Trio – Art Tour
Health & Fitness Open House
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• Winter Tea
MARCH
Ninth Annual Sportsman’s Dinner – sponsored by the Rod & Gun Society
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Jazz on Fridays with Benny Benack, 30-Minute Warm-Up Art Tour available prior to jazz
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Culinary Society Cooking Class – Preparing Soups – Exclusive to Culinary Society members
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• A Tale For All Time - The Gilded Age – benefits United for Women, a program of the United Way of Southwestern Pennsylvania that is MAKING a positive IMPACT for WOMEN in vulnerable stages organized by Women of the Club
• Wine Dinner with Steven Spurrier – sponsored by the Wine Society • Creating Live and Still Art – organized by Women of the Club
Father-Daughter Dinner
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New & Prospective Member Reception featuring jazz by the Benny Benack Trio.
EVENING RECEPTION & FIRESIDE CHAT RING OF YEARS, an e-book thriller featuring GRANT OLIPHANT, author and president of the Heinz Endowments - sponsored by the Literary Society
Culinary Society Knife Skills Class – Exclusive to Culinary Society members Exotic Beer Tasting featuring Josh Beck – sponsored by the Beer Society
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• Jazz on Fridays with Mark Lucas • Winter Tea
Seafood Buffet Hearts of Our People: Native Women Artists Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, Renwick Gallery, Washington, D.C. Offsite; self-driving
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APRIL
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Divas in Defense Class – organized by Women of the Club
Maker & Muse: Women and Early Twentieth Century Art Jewelry Introduction by Elizabeth E. Barker, Ph.D., Executive Director; Presentation by Sarah J. Hall, Chief Curator, Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh
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• Jazz on Fridays – Art Tour • Revenge of the Taxpayers Shoot, Nemacolin Woodlands – sponsored by the Rod & Gun Society
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Suds in the City – sponsored by the Beer Society
Advanced Cooking Class – Foie Gras Technique with Sous Chef Mike Caudill Exclusive to Culinary Society members (limited to 6 participants)
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EVENING RECEPTION & LECTURE, YALE NEEDS WOMEN: HOW THE FIRST GROUP OF GIRLS REWROTE THE RULES OF AN IVY LEAGUE GIANT featuring ANNE GARDINER PERKINS, author, historian and expert on higher education – jointly sponsored by the Literary Society & Women of the Club
TBD
Baywood Mansion Talk and Tour – sponsored by the Art Society
Events are subject to change. Watch your email and visit the Club’s website for the most up-to-date listing. DC
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AT YOUR SERVICE
A directory of helpful Club contacts Our staff is ready and eager to answer any questions you may have about the Duquesne Club. MAIN PHONE NUMBER 412-391-1500
À LA CARTE DINING SERVICE
MAIN FAX NUMBER 412-560-3200
Dan Snyder À la Carte Dining Manager 412.471.6582 dsnyder@duquesne.org
__________________________ ACCOUNTING Sander Peterson Controller 412.471.6592 speterson@duquesne.org Shannon Porterfield Assistant Controller 412.560.3213 sporterfield@duquesne.org Susan Christner Account Inquiries 412.471.6593 schristner@duquesne.org
Gillian Gaitens Assistant Director of Dining Room Service 412.560.1500 x317 ART SOCIETY, ART COLLECTION & ART EVENTS Barb Conner Director of Art Programs 412.560.3233 bconner@duquesne.org
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AT YOUR SERVICE
BANQUETS AND CATERING
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Tom Wahl Director of Banquets and Catering 412.471.6585 twahl@duquesne.org Dana Kotwica Director of Catering 412.471.6585 dkotwica@duquesne.org
COMMUNICATIONS Gregg Liberi Director of Communications 412.560.3001 gliberi@duquesne.org DINING AND EVENT RESERVATIONS Banquet Reservations 412.471.6585
CLUB EVENTS AND SOCIETIES
Maddie Kohler Special Event Reservations 412.560.3015 events@duquesne.org
Colleen Kelly Director of Club Events & Societies 412.560.3211 ckelly@duquesne.org
Dinner Reservations – Duquesne and Pine Rooms, Health & Fitness Centers 412.471.6582
CLUBHOUSE AND BEVERAGE SERVICES, TICKET SALES
Breakfast and Lunch à la Carte Dining, Cigar Bar 412.471.6585
Kevin Reynolds Director of Clubhouse Services 412.471.6581 kreynolds@duquesne.org Michael Wells Assistant Director of Clubhouse Services 412.471.6581 mwells@duquesne.org
ENGINEERING Daniel Ossler Chief Engineer 412.471.6595 dossler@duquesne.org
FOOD AND BEVERAGE
HEALTH & FITNESS
Mark Null, CCM Assistant General Manager, Food and Beverage 412.560.3007 mnull@duquesne.org
Ryan Kostura Director of Health & Fitness 412.471.6598 rkostura@duquesne.org
FRONT DOOR ATTENDANTS Thomas Sexton Daylight Attendant 412.391.1500 Cindy Pacolay Evening Attendant 412.471.6599 GENERAL MANAGER’S OFFICE/MEMBERSHIP OFFICE Scott Neill, CCM General Manager & Secretary 412.471.6594 sneill@duquesne.org Theresa Hopkins Membership Coordinator, Reciprocal Clubs 412.471.6588 thopkins@duquesne.org
Brittney Palardy Health & Fitness Manager 412.471.6599 bpalardy@duquesne.org Ann Sion Health & Fitness Manager 412.471.6599 asion@duquesne.org Barber Shop and Salon Julia Anderson Salon 412.480.0296 ellisjk1@aol.com Bryan Pusateri Barber 412.471.6596 bpusateri@duquesne.org Massage, Personal Training and Other Services By Appointment, arrange through Ryan Kostura Director of Health & Fitness 412.471.6598 rkostura@duquesne.org
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AT YOUR SERVICE
HOTEL ROOMS & SUITES
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Jonathan Werth Front Office Manager 412.471.6580 frontoffice@duquesne.org
Max McIntosh IT Director 412.560.3219 mmcintosh@duquesne.org
Christine Mercer Front Office Assistant/Operator 412.391.1500 operator@duquesne.org or cmercer@duquesne.org
KITCHEN
Sonny Zack Front Office Day Attendant 412.471.6580 frontoffice@duquesne.org
Michael Caudill Executive Sous Chef 412.391.1500 x278 mcaudill@duquesne.org
Jessica Cox Front Office Evening Attendant 412.471.6580 frontoffice@duquesne.org
Will Racin CEPC, Pastry Chef 412.391.1500 x241 wracin@duquesne.org
HOUSEKEEPING
LITERARY SOCIETY, CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
Jody Kundrat Director of Housekeeping 412.471.6589 jkundrat@duquesne.org HUMAN RESOURCES Terri Klingenberg Director of Human Resources 412.471.6591 tklingenberg@duquesne.org
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Keith Coughenour CEC, Executive Chef 412.471.6584 kcoughenour@duquesne.org
Nancyann Letterio Treasurer, Duquesne Club Charitable Foundation 412.560.3222 nletterio@duquesne.org VALET SHOP Lida Khoshnoo Tailor 412.560.3212
Available at
One PNC Plaza 249 5th Avenue | Downtown Pittsburgh 412.471.5727 | Shop online at Larrimors.com Parking validated at 3 PNC garage
