Rockford Woman's Club

Last updated
Rockford Woman's Club
Rockford Woman's Club building.jpg
USA Illinois location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location323 Park Ave., Rockford, Illinois
Coordinates 42°16′29″N89°05′36″W / 42.27472°N 89.09333°W / 42.27472; -89.09333 Coordinates: 42°16′29″N89°05′36″W / 42.27472°N 89.09333°W / 42.27472; -89.09333
Built1918 (1918)
ArchitectTallmadge and Watson
Architectural styleNeoclassical
NRHP reference No. 100005971 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 31, 2020

The Rockford Woman's Club is a women's club headquartered at 323 Park Avenue in Rockford, Illinois. The club was founded in 1897; originally known as the Federation of Woman's Clubs of Rockford, it united the city's nearly 20 active women's clubs into one organization. Women's clubs were popular nationwide in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and typically promoted women's rights and suffrage, community service, and the arts; the Rockford club was no different, as it created the city's first school lunch program and advocated for women's suffrage and eight-hour workdays. The club built a permanent clubhouse in 1918, which included an 800-seat community theater and a restaurant; the building has served as its headquarters ever since. Architects Tallmadge and Watson designed the Neoclassical building, while sculptor Nancy Cox-McCormack designed two bas-relief panels for its exterior. The restaurant, known as the Food Shop, became popular enough to merit an addition to the building in 1938; it operated until 1998, when the space was rented to a private restaurant. [2]

The club building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 2020. [1]

Related Research Articles

Rockford, Illinois City in Illinois, United States

Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County. The largest city in Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area, Rockford is the fourth-largest city in the state and the 171st most populous in the United States. According to 2010 U.S. Census data, the City of Rockford had a population of 152,871, with an outlying metropolitan area population of 348,360. Rockford's population was 145,609 as of 2019, down 5.0% since 2010.

Coronado Theatre

The Coronado Performing Arts Center, in Rockford, Illinois, is a 2,400-seat theatre, designed by architect Frederic J. Klein. The theatre cost $1.5 million to build, and opened on October 9, 1927.

Colony Club United States historic place

The Colony Club is a women-only private social club in New York City. Founded in 1903 by Florence Jaffray Harriman, wife of J. Borden Harriman, as the first social club established in New York City by and for women, it was modeled on similar clubs for men. Today, men are admitted as guests.

Park Avenue Historic District (Detroit, Michigan) United States historic place

The Park Avenue Historic District is a historic district located in Detroit, Michigan, along Park Avenue between Adams St. and I-75. The district includes the Women's City Club, the Detroit Building, and the Park Avenue House. The district was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1996 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Detroit Womens City Club United States historic place

The Women's City Club is a women's club located at 2110 Park Avenue in Downtown Detroit, Michigan, within the Park Avenue Historic District. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1979.

Alton Chapter House United States historic place

The Alton Chapter House is a historic building located at 509 Beacon St. in Alton, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Alton's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Alton Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Andover Chapter House United States historic place

The Andover Chapter House is a historic building located on Locust Street northwest of 5th Avenue in Andover, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Andover's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Andover Chapter House is an example of a Class I building, which was designed for clubs with 30 to 60 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $1,200. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Annawan Chapter House United States historic place

The Annawan Chapter House is a historic building located at 206 S. Depot St. in Annawan, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Annawan's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Annawan Chapter House is an example of a Class I building, which was designed for clubs with 30 to 60 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $1,200. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Carlinville Chapter House United States historic place

The Carlinville Chapter House is a historic building located at 111 S. Charles St. in Carlinville, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Carlinville's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Carlinville Chapter House is an example of a Class I building, which was designed for clubs with 30 to 60 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $1,200. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Edwardsville Chapter House United States historic place

The Edwardsville Chapter House is a historic building located at 515 W. High St. in Edwardsville, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Edwardsville's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Edwardsville Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Marine Chapter House United States historic place

The Marine Chapter House is a historic building located on Silver Street in Marine, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Marine's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Marine Chapter House is an example of a Class I building, which was designed for clubs with 30 to 60 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $1,200. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a library.

Princeton Chapter House United States historic place

The Princeton Chapter House is a historic building located at 1009 N. Main St. in Princeton, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Princeton's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Princeton Chapter House is the only Class IV chapter house ever built; the Class IV plan was one of the larger buildings and was designed for clubs with 140 to 200 members. The building was designed in the Mission Revival style and cost $5,000. After the club disbanded, it served as a public library before being converted to a business.

Zion Chapter House United States historic place

The Zion Chapter House is a historic building located at 2715 Emmaus Avenue in Zion, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Zion's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Zion Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, the building was converted to a private home.

Bradford Community Church United States historic place

The Bradford Community Church, originally the Henry M. Simmons Memorial Church and later the Boys and Girls Library, is a historic church built in 1907 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States under the leadership of Kenosha's first woman pastor.

Valencia Court Apartments United States historic place

The Valencia Court Apartments is a four-building apartment complex in Rockford, Illinois, United States. Designed by local architect Jesse A. Barloga, the apartments are considered an excellent example of Mission Revival architecture in Illinois.

Carmi Chapter House United States historic place

The Carmi Chapter House is a historic building located at 604 W. Main St. in Carmi, Illinois. The building was constructed between 1909 and 1910 as a meetinghouse for Carmi's chapter of the American Woman's League. The American Woman's League was a political and social organization founded by magazine publisher Edward Gardner Lewis in 1908. The organization was created to promote feminist causes, particularly the women's suffrage movement; Lewis also intended for the organization to promote and sell his women's magazines. Lewis commissioned the St. Louis architectural firm of Helfensteller, Hirsch & Watson to design five classes of buildings which the League would use as meetinghouses. The Carmi Chapter House is an example of a Class II building, which was designed for clubs with 60 to 100 members. The building was designed in the Prairie School style and cost $2,500. After the club disbanded, it was converted to a private home.

Silver City Womans Club United States historic place

The Silver City Woman's Club is a historic women's club located at 411 Silver Heights Boulevard in Silver City, New Mexico. The club was founded in 1909, and it built its meeting house in 1935–36. Richard Tatsch designed the clubhouse in the Pueblo Revival style, which reflected the region's architectural history. The clubhouse provided two spaces for the club's community activities and private meetings; the former included distributing food to needy families and conducting child welfare inspections on behalf of the state, while the latter included self-improvement courses in music and literature. The women's club has continuously held its activities in the building since its construction; it has also provided a space for community meetings and large events.

Eliza Pickrell Routt American activist and First Lady of Colorado

Eliza Pickrell Routt (1839–1907) was a pioneer in women's suffrage and the original first lady of the state of Colorado.

Womans Club of Evanston United States historic place

The Woman's Club of Evanston is a historic house in Evanston, Illinois and is the headquarters for the social club of the same name. It is located at 1702 Chicago Avenue. On November 9, 2006, the clubhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Iowa Federation of Colored Womens Clubs United States historic place

The Iowa Federation of Colored Women's Clubs (IFCWC) was an umbrella organization serving African-American women's clubs in Iowa. The motto of IFCWC was "Sowing Seeds of Kindness", and the organization was affiliated with the National Association of Colored Women. The club produced a journal called the Iowa Colored Woman. IFCWC sent delegates to represent the state at national conventions and opportunities such as "Colored Women's day" at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The IFCWC is also known for creating a black women's dormitory for the University of Iowa before the school was fully integrated. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 "Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 12/28/2020 Through 12/31/2020". National Park Service . Retrieved January 16, 2021.
  2. Olafson, Valerie; Hein, Pam (August 21, 2020). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Rockford Woman's Club" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Division . Retrieved January 16, 2021.