The year is 1892 and it is New Westminster – not Vancouver or Victoria – that serves as B.C.’s central hub.
The Canadian Pacific Railway is barely a decade old, while Vancouver itself has been incorporated for just six years.
This is a time when smoking jackets and even smoking indoors was the norm.
While founded back in those halcyon days of Vancouver’s infancy in 1892, Terminal City Club (TCC) has continually shifted to become a relevant, inclusive and all-encompassing destination today.
And it’s done so through a continual focus on member needs and a commitment to evolving based on what those needs will look like 10, 20 or 30 years into the future.
“We honour the rich history and traditions our founders developed, but we’re not your grandfather’s club,” explains TCC GM & CEO Peter Jackman. “We’re constantly looking ahead to make sure the innovations and investments we make today benefit our members for years to come.”
Located at 837 West Hastings St., this is a club that quite literally caters to every facet of life in the city: work spaces, dining lounges, conference and meeting rooms, world-class fitness facilities, kids swim and squash lessons, and more.
“We want to be that place where you can find your feet, or where you can unwind and relax,” Jackman says.
It matters not if you’re a family, C-Suite executive team, or an individual looking for club perks – the net is cast wide enough to cater to virtually every demographic across downtown Vancouver.
“We don’t compete with any other club or any other restaurant,” Jackman explains. “Our competition is our members’ time, so we want to make sure that for three or four times a week, for 90 minutes, that they have a great time.”
It’s no secret that how we socialize, work and play was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic – change was necessary, whether we wanted to or not.
It was a challenge met with enthusiasm and moxie from the club’s more than 200-person staff who collectively speak more than 20 languages.
The facility and programming shifted, yet the club’s membership was one of the few city clubs in North America to grow during those lean COVID years.
“We’ve really changed and evolved to mirror what’s happening in our city, probably more than most city clubs in the world, to the point that our membership has grown by more than 30 per cent in the last decade,” Jackman says.
For some, the idea of club membership may be confined to those in older demographics only.
Not so – being a TCC club member meets you where you are, regardless of age, or where you’re at in your personal or professional life.
“Everybody is busy, but if you have access to something like the club, where you can combine different aspects of your life together in one place, you’ll be using your time wisely,” says club member Angeline Chandra. “Sometimes I come here for quiet time, to sit and read. It’s just got a good feel. It’s bright and comfortable and the staff are wonderful.
For more information about TCC and how to become a member, visit www.tcclub.com.
