Acquired at auction, silverplated serving pieces produced exclusively for the Chicago Athletic Association (CAA), one of Chicago's oldest and most distinguished private social clubs. Reflecting the gracious heritage of the now-shuttered club, they are a reminder of a simpler time and of a proud era in our city's history.

The silver is all American-made, produced primarily by the venerable Reed & Barton silversmiths. Dating from the 1920's to the 1940's, most pieces are crested with the Association's distinctive logo and many are also bottom-stamped "Chicago Athletic Association". With shapes ranging from stunning salmon platter domes to charming side-handled beverage pots, they have the pleasing heft that is the hallmark of vintage hotel silver. Some of the pieces were virtually unused, while others bear the gentle signs of age and service.

The Chicago Athletic Association was founded in 1890 and its founding members were a veritable who's who of Chicago's turn-of-the-century society - from Marshall Field and Cyrus McCormick to A.G. Spalding, William Wrigley and famed architects Henry Ives Cobb and Louis Sullivan.  Located at 12 S. Michigan Avenue, the CAA Clubhouse was considered an architectural masterpiece and a "clubhouse of which the city is proud."  In fact the New York Times declared in 1893, that "Athletes and athletics have in this city the finest home ever provided them in any place in the world."

The club's logo is probably one of the most famous cases of mistaken identity.  First appearing in 1915, the unmistakable C within a circle later went on to also become the logo for a certain beloved local baseball team.  Indeed when CAA member William Wrigley purchased the Chicago Cubs in 1925, the team adopted the Association's logo and continues to use a variation to this day.