 The "Stork Club" first opened in 1929 at 132 West 58th Street, just down the street from Billingsley's apartment at 152 West 58th Street.Billingsley's handwritten recollections of the early days recall that he was approached by two gamblers he knew from Oklahoma in his New York real estate office, proposing to open a restaurant together, which he accepted.The origin of the name of the club is unknown; Billingsley once remarked, "Don't ask me how or why I picked the name, because I just don't remember."