The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce celebrated 84 years of service to the New York City business community on July 15, 2004.

Eleven prominent Yorkville merchants founded the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce (MCC) in 1920.

In the wake of World War I, New York City was experiencing a period of unprecedented growth, prosperity, and business expansion. Rapid transit extended the city’s boundaries, drawing more visitors and attracting new business. The influx of European immigrants and a new wave of migration from the American South swelled the ranks of both merchants and laborers.

Then, as now, technology was changing the face of American business and culture. New York was already the financial capital of the world. It was a major shipping port and leading tourist destination. At the same time, the City was brimming with labor unrest, political corruption, and organized crime. The Roaring Twenties, to paraphrase Charles Dickens, was the best of times and the worst of times.

The Yorkville Chamber of Commerce, as it was then called, promised its business members advocacy and support in the tumultuous post-War marketplace. Membership in the Chamber gave small business owners the leverage to not only further their businesses locally, but also to negotiate the political backwaters of Tammany Hall.

In its early years, the Yorkville Chamber of Commerce traced its boundaries from East 57th to East 86th Streets, an area popularly known at the time as Germantown. As its constituency grew, it expanded further south, then west, taking on a variety of new names -- the Mid-East Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, the East Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, and ultimately, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. Ten years ago, the Chamber numbered 200 members. Today it’s membership is now over 1,400 and the Chamber represents the overall voice of over 100,000 small & mid-size businesses in Manhattan.

Over the years, the Chamber has provided its members with information and services, advocating on their behalf. It has also supported a variety of programs in the surrounding community. As in the days of Tammany Hall, the Chamber continues to be a leading voice for its members and the communities where they do business.

The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce is meeting the challenges of the 21st century -- a time when technology is, again, changing the face of business. As relevant today as it was 84 years ago, the Chamber is at the forefront -- supporting entrepreneurs as they do business in this exciting time in New York.