WILMINGTON – About seven years after local businessmen helped save the historic University & Whist Club from insolvency, a trio of longtime members have stepped forward to reacquire the property.
On Oct. 13, the investors acquired the clubhouse of one of Delaware’s oldest private social clubs under the Tilton Mansion LLC for $1.5 million, according to county land records. Selling the more than 200-year-old property neighboring Padua Academy in Wilmington’s Hilltop neighborhood was John Hynansky, founder of the Winner Group auto dealerships, and Thomas Hatzis, a fellow auto dealership owner and developer.
Hynansky and Hatzis had purchased the property in August 2016 after “the club was in dire straits,” according to one of the new investors, who would only identify himself as Joe after Delaware Business Times reached out to the club.
“They kind of swooped in and took it over in order to keep the club alive,” said Joe, who has been a club member for 17 years.
Today’s University & Whist Club is the product of a 1958 merger of two former clubs – the Wilmington Whist Club and the University Club of Wilmington – and it calls the Tilton Mansion at 805 N. Broom St. home. The roots of the club date back to 1821, and it has used Tilton Mansion since the 1930s.
The club will continue to occupy the 20,000-square-foot mansion under a lease with the new owners, who aim to invest in repairs and attention to the property moving forward, Joe said.
“We have some money put aside to do some immediate repairs to the building to get it looking nice again,” he said, noting they would also likely seek out grants for historic properties. “We’re also going to help the club, to make sure they survive with their leases and their agreements, because we love our club and we don’t want to lose it.”
The University & Whist Club is one of the few remaining private social and fine dining clubs in Delaware not attached to a golf course or sports property and serves a touchstone to clubs that often drew together communities within cities generations ago.
The Tilton Mansion was originally home to Dr. James Tilton, who crossed the Delaware River with George Washington and served as the first U.S. Army Surgeon General. Today, it is a popular wedding and event venue in addition to a private club.
The club has a few hundred members who pay upward of $3,000 a year to have access to its fine dining, programming and facility. Members also have access to a wine club that is priced just 10% over wholesale and reciprocal access to more than 300 golf courses across the country through ClubCorp.
Joe said that a friend introduced him to the University & Whist Club, and he and his wife fell in love with its offerings after trying them.
“The people were great. It’s a great place for business opportunities too,” he said, adding that members include doctors, lawyers, contractors, accountants, and much more. “We’re like a family, so we reach out to each other.”
