The Thames Club · New London

Restoration &
Preservation

The Thames Club is not merely maintaining an old building. It is preserving a lived house — one that has held meals, arguments, welcomes, and civic memory for generations — and preparing it for the next.

Stewardship

Places endure
because people
decide they will.

The current restoration effort reflects a simple conviction: places like this do not remain alive by sentiment alone. They endure because people decide, deliberately and together, to care for them.

Work should be honest, quiet, and well judged. The point is not to over-restore the house into something theatrical, but to stabilize and improve it in a way that respects its age, use, and accumulated character.

Since 1869, the Thames Club has continued without interruption. Its home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now the focus of careful preservation and renewal — supported in part by the Thames Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to its long-term stewardship.

The Thames Club historic building, Stewardship section
Current Work

Top floor
restoration.

The top floor is the clearest visible expression of the Club's current preservation work. As it is stabilized and brought forward, it also becomes a way of thinking about the house's next chapter.

Before

Pre-restoration conditions — the top floor as it was received. Structural assessment, documentation, and planning.

Top floor before restoration — pre-restoration conditions

During

Framing, stabilization, repair, and utilities. Work in progress — the house being cared for by people who take it seriously.

Top floor during restoration — framing and stabilization work in progress

Future Vision

Cultural spaces, the Dr. Anne B. Pierson Gallery, and rooms that will serve the Club's next generation of members.

Top floor future vision — cultural spaces and the Dr. Anne B. Pierson Gallery
Preservation Timeline

156 years
of continuity.

1869

Club founded. February 8, 1869 — merchants, sea captains, physicians, and civic leaders gathering above the river.

1905

The Club moves into its State Street building — the house that would serve members for over a century.

Post-War

Deepening ties to the submarine community as Electric Boat expands and the naval presence in the region grows.

2024

Since 1869, the Thames Club has continued without interruption. Its home, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is now the focus of careful preservation and renewal — supported in part by the Thames Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to its long-term stewardship.

2025–26

Top floor restoration advances. The Dr. Anne B. Pierson Gallery takes shape. The house prepares for its next century.

Support the Work

How to help
preserve our piece of history.

The restoration is supported by member contributions, the Thames Preservation Society, donations, and the leadership of those who understand what places like this are worth. If you would like to contribute to the preservation effort, contact Club leadership directly.

Call 959-264-2733 Email Club Leadership Dr. Pierson Gallery →