With its mantra “Dedicated to our future, inspired by our heritage” in mind, the University Club, downtown San Diego’s most-established business and social club, celebrated its recent renovation at a “Rediscovery Reception” Jan. 31. High atop the Symphony Towers building, the club, which for the last century has been playing host to the most prominent business, political and social figures to pass through America’s Finest City, celebrated a recent $2.4 million expansion and remodel project completed last October. “It’s really meant to be the basis for interaction, not just décor,” said Tommy Trause, club manager. The club’s focus is interaction, indeed. Each month, the University Club, currently at 2,700 members, about 100 to 500 of whom visit on an average day, hosts dozens of programming events ranging from business and distinguished speakers series to wine dinners and sunrise yoga. “It’s my home away from home,” said Renee Comeau, senior vice president of California Bank & Trust and 15-year member of the University Club. Comeau, who serves on the club’s board of governors and executive committee, said she uses the club regularly for both business and personal activities, including entertaining clients and guests from out of town. The University Club was one of three locations in the network of ClubCorp properties across the country selected to be remodeled as a business club of the future. The six-month renovation project resulted in upgrades to the business amenities, such as a media room with plasma screen for business meetings, sporting events or movie nights, and an expansion of services including private meeting rooms and Wi-Fi. Bar, lounge and dining areas were also expanded and remodeled, as was the Laureate Ballrooom, a west-facing venue with one of the most spectacular views in San Diego. The room can host most events, including weddings. A large focus in the remodel has been the incorporation of local elements, and what says “San Diego” more than surfing, the Padres and Taylor Guitars? San Diego surfer John Bishop, surf artisan and owner of Hot Rod Surfboards, crafted a large, communal walnut and cherry table that resembles a longboard, an item that has become a focal point of the club’s Apollo Room Lounge. “They wanted a centerpiece table to give the atmosphere of San Diego,” said Bishop, who grew up in Ocean Beach and also has his work on display at the W Hotel. “It’s the idea of the guy seeing the table and remembering that feeling of a great wave, that nostalgia.” Bishop said the table is “surfboardesque” down to his adding a tailblock by the fins. The new media room has two original Taylor acoustic guitars placed on the wall at founder Bob Taylor’s request so that they can be accessible for club members who want to pick one up for an impromptu jam session. The room also hosts a collection of Padres memorabilia, though the signed bats in glass cases are not as accessible for impromptu games of indoor, pick-up baseball. The University Club was founded around the turn of the 20th century, just as the major higher educational institutions were being established in San Diego. In 1896, eight men and 13 women gathered to form the “College Graduate Club” to discuss topics of current interest. Original members of this group included San Diego founding figures Kate Sessions and Elisha Babcock. In 1909, the club was formally founded as a fraternal organization to promote art, literature and culture. Their original home was a rented mansion on the corner of Fourth and A streets, where the founding members could order a steak dinner for 35 cents. The club was also located for several years at the corner of Seventh and A streets, in the current San Diego Bar Association building. When the Symphony Towers were completed in 1989, the University Club moved into its location on the 34th floor where it has resided since. In 2009, the University Club celebrated its 100th anniversary, and kept looking forward in 2010 with the renovation. Over the last century the club has hosted a wide range of distinguished speakers, including a 1961 visit by Jack Kemp of the San Diego Chargers, who explained what the arrival of the Chargers meant for San Diego. The club has also stayed true to its focus of supporting the interests of business. Beth Binger, member and representative of the club, said the University Club gives small business owners a place to network and connect, as well as host business meetings. “I’ve been there since the beginning and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s the premier club, certainly in downtown, and in all of the county,” said Paul Robinson, who has been a University Club member since the 1980s when members moved into the Symphony Towers. Robinson said he regularly ventures out from his downtown law firm to host business meetings at the club, and also enjoys being a member of the Wine Club. The remodel will also help the club reach out to the next generation of San Diego executives, as will some of the programming, including Superbowl parties, book clubs, cooking events, etiquette classes and hiking groups. UNIVERSITY CLUB 750 B St., Suite 3400, atop Symphony Towers. www.uc-sandiego.com.