after the new york city bar association was founded in 1870, it housed itself in a series of buildings in lower manhattan. by the 1890s, membership of the association had grown to the point where its leadership began looking for a new house farther uptown. on december 11, 1894 the membership approved the acquisition of a large site between west 43rd and west 44th streets for the construction of a new, larger building. the street, already home to the harvard club of new york and the century association, was considered by the members “specially adapted to our purposes” because of the other prominent clubs and societies in its vicinity.