Inside Boston’s Most Exclusive Members-Only Clubs

From a storied Back Bay mansion reborn for the creative elite to Beacon Hill’s bastion of Brahmin heritage, the city’s private clubs define exclusivity in all its forms. Here are five of the most coveted members’ clubs in Boston.

Photo Credit: Jenna Peffley

The ’Quin House
In the heart of Back Bay, inside the former Algonquin Club’s 1888 Beaux-Arts mansion, The ’Quin House has redefined Boston luxury. Purchased and reinvented by Sandy and Paul Edgerley with celebrated designer Ken Fulk, the six-floor, 56,000-square-foot clubhouse is a riot of art, texture, and theatrical whimsy.

Photo Credit: Jenna Peffley

Fulk calls it ‘the rockstars taking over their grandfather’s mansion,’ and indeed, no corner feels static. Ceilings bloom with silk flowers, Picassos and Kehinde Wileys line marble halls, and pale-pink hues line the walls of Scottie’s, a glamorous Art Deco lounge with a “Push for Champagne” buttons that deliver bubbly on demand. Behind a bookshelf, a hidden speakeasy called ‘The Hideaway’ hums with vinyl records and candlelight, while a rooftop garden terrace called the Sky Deck offers sunset cocktails over Commonwealth Avenue.

Photo Credit: Jenna Peffley

Dining here rivals any top-tier restaurant. Bondo’s chandelier sculpted from the roots of a tree, crowns a menu of New England–meets–pan-Asian flavors, while Lunasol dazzles with Latin-inspired plates and tropical murals. There’s also a Mediterranean café, an old-school pub, and even a Dive Bar devoted to Japanese whiskey. The ’Quin’s exclusivity lies not only in its referral-only membership and interviews, but in its cultivated mix of innovators, creatives, and philanthropists. Phones are banned, privacy is sacred, and the energy is electric. Evenings bring DJ-led parties, live performances, or a literary salon through the ’Quin Impact Fund.

217 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 

The Somerset Club
High atop Beacon Hill, the Somerset Club stands as Boston’s most enigmatic institution. Founded in 1852, it occupies a granite mansion built in 1821 and is unmarked, unadvertised, and famously impossible to join. There’s no website, no application, and no pretense of accessibility. Membership is inherited, whispered, and rarely discussed. Inside, the atmosphere feels preserved in amber: crystal chandeliers, damask draperies, and oil portraits of generations past. The main dining room glows with candlelight as waiters in white gloves serve five-course dinners on china bearing the club’s crest. Mobile phones are unwelcome; jackets are nonnegotiable. The club’s devotion to privacy is legendary. When a kitchen fire broke out in the 1940s, firefighters were asked to use the service entrance to avoid drawing attention. Somerset’s quiet endurance reflects not elitism for its own sake, but a steadfast loyalty to ritual and refinement. Here, exclusivity is measured in lineage and longevity. A Sunday lunch might see three generations of the same family seated beneath portraits of their forebears. The tone is serene, the service impeccable, and the legacy unbroken.

42 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02108 

The Chilton Club
At the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Dartmouth Street, behind red-brick façades entwined with ivy, stands The Chilton Club — Boston’s first and most enduring women’s social club. Founded in 1910 by Pauline Revere Thayer, great-granddaughter of Paul Revere, the Chilton was envisioned as a cultural retreat “more interesting and exciting” than society’s drawing rooms. Inside, the atmosphere is both gracious and cultivated. The library, with its floral draperies, antique furnishings, and flickering fireplaces, remains the heart of the club. Here, members gather for coffee and conversation beneath portraits of its pioneering founders. Programming reflects its intellectual DNA: literary salons, chamber music recitals, and art lectures that blend old-world grace with cultural sophistication. A typical evening might feature a private dinner followed by a Beethoven trio in the ballroom, or an author reading accompanied by fine wine. The Chilton’s membership remains an elite, meticulously curated mix of philanthropists, scholars, and creatives who uphold its century-old motto: “The pleasure of each other’s company.” Even after becoming co-ed in 1988, its spirit remains distinctly feminine — a blend of elegance, intellect, and timeless civility.

152 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02116 

The Harvard Club of Boston
For Boston’s academic elite, few addresses carry as much gravitas as the Harvard Club of Boston. Founded in 1908 by a circle of Harvard alumni, its Georgian Revival clubhouse on Commonwealth Avenue is a temple of collegiate prestige. The showpiece is Harvard Hall, a soaring, oak-paneled ballroom crowned with a 50-foot ceiling, monumental fireplace, and stained glass depicting scholarly life. Over the years, it has hosted everyone from Eleanor Roosevelt to Robert Frost, and remains the city’s premier stage for lectures, galas, and black-tie dinners.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Harvard Club of Boston

Members can dine at Veritas where the filet mignon competes with an award-winning wine list or at the casual ClubPub for a classic Harvard burger. Beyond fine dining, the club is also an athletic haven, with historic squash courts and a state-of-the-art fitness center. Today, the club counts 5,000 members across 40 countries and reciprocal privileges at 140 clubs worldwide. Once an enclave for Harvard men, it’s now a global network where professors, executives, and visionaries mingle under a shared banner of intellect and tradition. With its blend of scholarly prestige and warm hospitality, the Harvard Club embodies Boston at its most refined.

374 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 

Photo Credit: Jess Kearney

Soho House Cities Without Houses
The city becomes the clubhouse in this global network for creatives. In contrast to Boston’s buttoned-up institutions, Soho House’s “Cities Without Houses” program brings its signature brand of cosmopolitan cool to the city without walls. There’s no clubhouse here; the city itself becomes the venue. Alongside scholars, Soho House CWH members represent vibrant cultural and retail communities, including New Balance and CNCPTS, as well as those deeply rooted in the museum and arts sectors. Past programming has celebrated this diversity — from a chess match with GZA of Wu-Tang Clan at CNCPTS on Newbury Street to a Spotify collaboration spotlighting local music talent like Lisa Bello and Neemz, to cultural moments such as the ICA’s White Party and a summer soirée at the Larz Anderson Museum. Most recently, the Boston CWH community gathered at AutoCamp Cape Cod for a relaxed, design-forward summer retreat. Members spent the weekend reconnecting with nature and each other through a mindfulness walk along the coast, a sail on the bay, and a wine tasting at Cape Cod Winery. Best of all, members gain access to every Soho House worldwide from West Hollywood to Barcelona, including rooftop pools, spas, cinemas, and co-working spaces. It’s a passport to the global creative class, ideally suited to Boston’s new generation of innovators.