Woman's_Club_of_Palo_Alto

Woman's Club of Palo Alto

Woman's Club of Palo Alto

United States historic place

Woman's Club of Palo Alto (founded 1894, and active to present day) is a civic, cultural, philanthropic and social club, initially founded on June 20, 1894 by 24 women in Palo Alto, California.[1][2] The building that currently houses the club is historical and built in 1916 in a Tudor-Craftsman style, and is located at 475 Homer Avenue in Palo Alto.[1] The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.[1][3]

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Club history

The Woman's Club of Palo Alto was initially founded on June 20, 1894 by 24 women who gathered at a Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto, California.[2] The first president was Mary Grafton Campbell, a doctor.[2] Early members of the club included Anna Zschokke, a figure in the establishment of the Palo Alto Unified School District; Lydia Mitchell, who co-founded the Palo Alto Red Cross; and Julia Gilbert, a figure in the establishment of the Palo Alto libraries.[1][2]

In 1898, the club formed a circulating library and donated over 2,000 books, which four years later led to the first public library in Palo Alto.[2] In 1911, the club worked for California women's suffrage movement.[1] From 1916 until 1929, the club members were involved in local and national issues concerning World War I, universal suffrage, and women in politics.[1]

The club has hosted many speaking events including suffragist Hester Ann Harland,[4] lectures by Stanford University professors,[5] among others. In 2018, many female engineers and university students met at the club to discuss cryptocurrencies and the club served as a safe space for women in technology to meet.[6]

Architectural history

Club members raised money to buy a lot on Homer Avenue, and it took a decade to raise the remaining money for the building construction.[1] The total cost of the new club building was $10,590.[1]

Charles Edward Hodges (1864–1944) was the architect of the building.[2] The style of the building is a Tudor Craftsman design.[2] The exterior features are Craftsman with a porte-cochere doorway, heavy beams, stucco finish with a painted wood wainscoting band of lap siding at the base of the structure.[2] The Tudor design elements include the one and a half story gable, a half timbered frame and a steeply pitched roof. The interior features a Ballroom with maple flooring and fir board and batten siding on three of the walls, and a stage with an Olio drop front curtain.[2] There is a separate Fireside Room with salt glazed tiles from 1910 made by the Steiger Terracotta and Pottery Company of South San Francisco.[2]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Medina, Anna (June 11, 2016). "Woman's Club of Palo Alto celebrates a centennial milestone". PaloAltoOnline.com. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  2. [2]
    Feuer, Margaret (April 12, 2013). "The Palo Alto Woman's Club". Past Heritage. Retrieved 2020-09-26.
  3. [3]
    "Federal Register, Volume 80 Issue 3". www.govinfo.gov. January 6, 2015. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  4. [4]
    "The Afro-American Vote, The Women Suffragists Received a Pledge of Colored Support". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Call. 8 December 1895. p. Page 7. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  5. [5]
    "New About the Women's Clubs". Newspapers.com. Oakland Tribune. October 19, 1901. p. Page 9. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  6. [6]
    Bowles, Nellie (2018-02-25). "Women in Cryptocurrencies Push Back Against 'Blockchain Bros'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
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