Sarasota Woman's Club | |
![]() | |
Location | Sarasota, Florida |
---|---|
Coordinates | 27°20′11″N82°32′43.5″W / 27.33639°N 82.545417°W Coordinates: 27°20′11″N82°32′43.5″W / 27.33639°N 82.545417°W |
Built | 1915 |
Architect | G. L. Lysat and H. N. Hall |
Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
MPS | Sarasota MRA |
NRHP reference No. | 85000087 [1] |
Added to NRHP | January 18, 1985 |
The Sarasota Woman's Club (also known as the Florida Studio Theatre) is a historic woman's club in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 1241 North Palm Avenue. It was founded in 1913 and on January 18, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The clubhouse is now home to the Keating Theater, the mainstage of Florida Studio Theatre.
The Sarasota Woman’s Club started as a meeting of 63 charter members on April 14, 1913. [2] In 1914 Sarasota was incorporated as a city [3] and after two years of club activities, the cornerstone was laid at their new clubhouse at the corner of Cocoanut and Palm on January 1, 1915. As part of the ground-breaking celebrations, the first club president, Alice Guenther, gave a short speech. [4] That year, on its two-year anniversary, the club had 200 members, owned a lot, and had moved into their newly built $4,500 clubhouse. [5] Created by architect H.N. Hall and contractor George Lysat, the building is Tudor Revival. [6]
Part of the clubhouse was dedicated to housing Sarasota’s library. The Woman’s Club kept it in operation with fundraisers until 1940 when it became public. [4]
After 38 years of being open, the clubhouse was rededicated in 1953 after being remodeled and redecorated by Naomi Widrig, a club member. The occasion was marked by a musical number and remarks by A.B. Edwards, who had been the mayor when the club was first opened, and Mrs. Joseph Halton, the first Club vice president. [7]
Mrs. Halton, wife of a well-respected local doctor, [8] was among the first to act in the space that is now the main stage of the Florida Studio Theatre in a play called “Sunbonnets.” “Sunbonnets” was performed first at the clubhouse (the general public could get in for $0.25 and members’ admission was free) and then transferred to the Hover Arcade Theatre for a repeat performance. [9] [10]
In 1977, the same year it became the home of the Florida Studio Theatre, the clubhouse received Historical Site status with the presentation of a Historical Marker. [11]
In response to the newly founded Woman’s Club, the Sarasota Sun conducted a poll asking a few “prominent citizens” their opinion of the new organization. Then-Mayor Higel praised the Woman’s Club saying, “Best move ever made here. More attention given to their orders issued than to those of any other body.” Other government officials reacted differently, with Marshall Hodge reported to have said, “The Woman’s Club is all right; but I have troubles of my own,” with City Clerk Houle adding, “It’s a terror to the men.” [12]
In the same Sarasota Sun article, the husband of president of the club Mrs. Alice Gunther said, “A great institution for the town, but hard on the individual in my case, as I expect to be buttonless, sockless and half-fed for the next year.” In a similar vein, Sarasota resident Walter P. Bryan offered his opinion, “I have been married so recently I dare not say what I think.” [12]
On the whole, the foundation of the Woman’s Club was seen as a good thing for the community. Sarasota resident J.W. Madison admired the women of the club, saying of the club’s formation, “Good thing! The Woman’s Club always takes the advance position in civics and so forth.” J.J. Merrill added, “Of invaluable assistance to the city, morally and physically.” W.T. Caven observed, “Every city that has been blessed with a woman’s club has been the one to show greater progress in its culture and municipal worth.” [12]
The Sarasota Woman’s Club originated as the Town Improvement Society, an organization of women founded in 1903. Their first project was to have sidewalks built along Main Street, where previously there had been sand paths. They continued on to install lanterns at the train station and organize the first community library. [13]
The Florida land boom in 1919 [14] and the increasing political awakening of women in Florida from 1890 to 1920 [15] during the Progressive Era [16] paved the way for women to become more socially active. The Woman’s Club succeeded the Town Improvement Society and in many areas picked up where they left off. Their Library Committee, Cemetery Committee, Juvenile Dancing Class, Education Committee, music committees and welfare committees ensured that within four years of the founding of the Sarasota Woman’s Club, they became a social center. In 1913 the Woman’s Club took over care of the library and started improvements on Rosemary Cemetery, which had fallen into disrepair. They also created a community work day “during which businesses were closed by order of the mayor and more than 200 men with teams and wagons created a park along the bay front between Main Street and the Seaboard Air Line Railroad (now Ringling Boulevard).” [17] The following year, they initiated a census and birth registration and planted 250 cocoanut trees along the shore. In 1915, ensconced in their new clubhouse, the Woman’s Club investigated better ways for parents to save on sending their children to school. [18] They also sold Tuberculosis seals. Matters of health were big that year, with a speaker at the club addressing its members on the subject of health reform:
Vital statistics and the prevalence of disease is awakening all Club women to the need of a reform on the lines of health purity, and very deeply did this lady feel on the subject that a broader education should be given the young people on the question of health and a one standard of morality maintained. [19]
1917 and 1918 saw a continued effort on behalf of school-age children. Club members founded the area PTA, campaigned for compulsory school attendance, and organized the Red Cross Auxiliary and training classes for elementary school students. [18]
In 1917, sixty-one members of the Woman’s Club registered in the lobby of the First National Bank to help the war effort in whatever capacity they could. Registration included writing down any and all skills to be recorded and put on file. [20] A call for other women to participate in this wartime registration appeared in the Saratimes. “Well,” said one resident female worker in the article (which was entitled “Attention Women! Are You a Patriot or a Slacker?”), “nobody plays a band for you when you go out to swat flies. Much of the work will be inglorious—but grimly necessary. A right to share in the glorious results accomplished should be compensation enough.” [21]
During the 1920/1921 season Woman’s Club members raised money for a local hospital, registered to vote, and joined the FFWC (Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs) and GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs). The FFWC was most successful in their conservation projects, in particular their efforts to halt deforestation in the Everglades. [22] The club continued in this vein of philanthropic work, founding the Helen R. Payne Day Care Nursery in 1938 as a service for the children of migrant workers [18] and even adopting a needy child in France, for whom they then raised money and sent care packages.
Today, the Woman’s Club supports the following state and national projects: Canine Companions for Independence, Special Olympics, R.O.C.K. Camp and Bogg Creek Camp, HOBY, Hacienda Girls Ranch, and the Everglades National Park, initially established by the FFWC as Royal Palm Park. [18]
Local philanthropies the club currently assists include: the Sarasota County Library, a scholarship fund for deserving students, continued work with the Helen R. Payne Day Care Nursery, Oak Park School, The Pines of Sarasota, the American Cancer Society, Genesis Dental Clinic, and the Sarasota Women’s Legal Fund. [18]
The Woman’s Club of Sarasota currently supports the following organizations with donations: Safe Place Rape Crisis Center, All Faiths Food Bank, Resurrection House, Sarasota County Child Health Center, and Bay Pines Veterans Hospital. [18]
The Woman’s Club divided their calendar years into themed seasons. Each year, the club announced the season to come in a statement issued by the planning committee.
In 1914 the Woman’s Club sponsored a mock court trial. [23] In 1921 they held a round table discussion entitled “The Censorship of the Movies.” [24] In 1924 Princess Cantacuzene addressed club members and visitors in a speech responding to Admiral Bradley A. Fiske’s statement that “of all existing matters, the one women understood the least, is war.” She used the club as a positive example of effective social change by women. The princess concluded that the admiral’s instruction that women “butt out” is misguided. [25]
The club would frequently host themed evenings, often costume shows. In 1916, a Mother Goose themed party raised the most funds of the year at $378.28. [26] The 1919 Colonial Ball found between fifty and sixty couples—club members and their guests—taking part in the ball’s Grand March and taking home Colonial hats as party favors. [27] A hat show presented in 1950 was followed by a skit entitled “The Lizzie Dash-It Hat Shoppe” written by club member Mrs. Charles Wise. At evenings such as that, the club song would be sung as part of the festivities. [28]
The 1959/1960 season’s themes were “Investment in Understanding” and “Through wisdom is an (sic) house builded (sic) and by understanding is it established.” The series opened on November 2, 1959 with a lecture by Dr. Alfred P. Haake, a businessman, titled “America Unlimited.” The season continued with book reviews, a demonstration by cartoonist Six Hix of Chicago, a performance of the Christmas play The Gift Supreme, talks, lectures, an art history presentation, and a seminar on business tips for women. [29]
All money raised that was not put back into the club for day-to-day expenses was given back to the town, or to state work, or other philanthropies. [30]
To keep the public up to date on goings-on at the club, the Woman’s Club published weekly notes in The Sarasota Times, which was founded in 1899 as Sarasota’s first newspaper. [3]
The Sarasota Woman’s Club functioned under several codes of conduct. They published their constitution and by-laws in The Sarasota Times just after their founding in 1913. [31] In addition to these rules, the club espoused a mantra called the “Brighten Up Rules”: That the Woman’s Club believes in.
To Brighten Up myself—to be optimistic, cheerful and good… To Brighten Up my home and spread the Brighten Up spirit among my neighbors. To Brighten Up my business and take pleasure as well as profit from it. To Brighten Up my town and promote its social, Industrial and commercial progress. To promote the love of Nature sunshine and fresh air. To adopt Brighten Up as my slogan. [32]
In addition, the Woman’s Club took as inspiration a poem originally published in the Southern Woman’s Magazine entitled “What is a Woman’s Club?”:
What is a woman’s club? A meeting ground, For those whose purpose, great and broad and strong, Whose aim is like the star: who ever long To make the patient, hastening world resound With sweeter music, freer tones. A place where kindly, lifting words are said. And kindlier deeds are done: where hearts are fed. Where wealth of brain for poverty atones: Where hand grasps hand: and soul finds touch with soul: Where victors in the race for fame and power Look back in their triumphant hour To beckon others to the shining goal, This is a woman’s club—a heaven fair, Where toilers drop—an hour—their load of care. [33]
Today, the Sarasota Woman’s Club continues to host seasonal events to benefit a variety of local and national charities. In addition to the original Sarasota club body, the Golden City Woman’s Club of Sarasota was founded in 1962 to serve Sarasota County. [34]
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) now operates out of the old clubhouse at 1241 North Palm Avenue, as well as adjacent buildings. In 1976, FST founder Jon Spelman saw a potential performance space in the clubhouse, which, at that time, was vacant and in need of serious repair. Patron of the arts Marian McKenna, whose fond memories of the clubhouse included receiving her first kiss on the premises, purchased the old building from Boomhauer Realty and sold it to FST at a greatly reduced price. Under the ownership of FST, the clubhouse has undergone extensive renovation and beautification, while still maintaining the exterior look and structure of the original building.
Over the past 40 years, FST has established itself as a major force in American Theatre. Today, the Sarasota Women’s Club building features the fully operational 173-seat Keating Theatre, one of FST's two Mainstage performance spaces. FST’s Keating Theatre is the cornerstone of FST’s village of 5 theatres, serving more than 230,000 live attendees each year.
Sarasota is a city in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located south of the Tampa Bay area, north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Bay and several barrier islands between the bay and the Gulf of Mexico. In 1986, it became designated as a certified local government. Sarasota is a principal city of the Sarasota metropolitan area, and is the seat of Sarasota County. According to the 2020 U.S. census, Sarasota had a population of 54,842.
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities and service projects are done independently by local clubs through their communities or GFWC's national partnerships. GFWC maintains nearly 70,000 members throughout the United States and internationally. GFWC remains one of the world's largest and oldest nonpartisan, nondenominational, women's volunteer service organizations. The GFWC headquarters is located in Washington, D.C.
The Lemon Bay Woman's Club is a historic woman's club in Englewood, Florida, United States. It is located at 51 North Maple Street. On August 11, 1988, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Lemon Bay Woman's club was organized by Dr. Mary Green who was a school teacher in Englewood. Originally named the Lemon Bay Mother's Club, a name retained until April 1924, the club played an important role in the development of the religious, educational, civic and political life of Englewood. Construction on the prairie style clubhouse was begun in September 1925 on two lots donated in Lampp subdivision by A. Stanley and Winifred E. Lampp. Englewood, incorporated in 1925, and the surrounding area then boasted 300 residents.
Sarasota architects Thomas Reed Martin and Clare C, Hosmer, formerly of Chicago, donated their design services for the building. Carpenters Pat Lampp, Fred Clark, and Leroy Bastedo were responsible for the clubhouse construction. The building originally consisted of a screened veranda and one large meeting room featuring a brick fireplace and a semi-circular stage, for which total construction cost was 3,120. A housewarming held on February 19, 1926, attracted 200 persons. Official incorporation, a year later, occurred under the direction of Charlotte Wellington, president.
In 1922, under the leadership of Mrs. Hallie Green, members started a school library and maintained a lending library at the club until 1962. Surviving the depression and the loss of its $37 treasury when banks failed, the club continued to hold fish fries, nature study classes, dances, card parties, plays, musical programs, travelogues and lectures. The club retired its mortgage on February 24, 1938. The note was burned at a gala meeting on March 4, 1938
Between 1926 and 1970, the club served as a sanctuary for many Englewood churches and as a meeting place for various organizations. The Englewood Community Church was the first congregation to meet at the club. Others included the Community Presbyterian Church, First Baptist Church, St. Raphael's Catholic Church, St. David's Episcopal Church, Evangelical Free Church, Church of God, Church of Christ, First Methodist Church, and Calvary Baptist Church. During World War II the building was turned over to the American Red Cross. The club was the first building in Englewood to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The St. Petersburg Woman's Club is a historic woman's club in St. Petersburg, Florida. It is located at 40 Snell Isle Boulevard. On July 15, 1994, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Bee Ridge Woman's Club is a historic woman's club in Sarasota, Florida, United States. The club was founded in 1915 as the Get-Together-Club and took its name as Bee Ridge Woman's club in 1917. In 1922 construction began on a clubhouse and the building was completed in 1923. It is located at 4919 Andrew Avenue. On February 10, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Woman's Club of Coconut Grove is a historic woman's club in Miami, Florida.
Friends of Seagate Inc. was founded in the late 1980s by Kafi Benz as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Sarasota, Florida. The historic preservation group lead local efforts protect historic property in the Sarasota-Bradenton area from commercial development. The group later expanded its scope to include environmental conservation. Its most notable project was the preservation of Seagate, the former home of Cincinnati, Ohio, industrialist Powel Crosley Jr. and his wife, Gwendolyn, and its later owners, Mabel and Freeman Horton. In 2002 the organization tried to secure Rus-in- Ur'be, an undeveloped parcel of land in the center of the Indian Beach Sapphire Shores neighborhood, as a local park; however, as of 2014, real estate developers intend to build condominium units at the site.
The 1974 U.S. Women's Open was the 29th U.S. Women's Open, held July 18–21 at La Grange Country Club in La Grange, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago.
The Coco Plum Woman's Club is a historic women's club located at 1375 Sunset Drive in Coral Gables, Florida. The club was founded in 1912 with eight members; it was named for the local cocoplum fruit. While the club was originally based in one of its members' houses, it built its own clubhouse in 1913. Its historic Mediterranean Revival clubhouse was built in 1926. The club participated in homefront efforts during both World Wars; its work with the American Red Cross during World War II was well-regarded within Florida. During peacetime, the club has served as a community library, a social venue for meetings and dances, a clinic, and a pre-school.
The Atlanta Woman’s Club is one of oldest non-profit woman’s organizations in Atlanta, organized November 11, 1895. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit philanthropic organization made up of professional women of all ages, races and religions.
Florida Studio Theatre (FST) is a professional, non-profit theater company located in Sarasota, Florida and represents one of the major cultural institutions in the Gulf Coast region. Founded in 1973 as a touring troupe, FST is currently a regional theatre specializing in contemporary work and a member theatre of LORT. According to the Theatre Communications Group, it is the third largest subscription theatre in the country. Each year, more than 225,000 attendees are served by the theatre's diverse programs including the Mainstage Series, Cabaret Series, Stage III, Children's Theatre, The FST School, New Play Development, and FST Improv.
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.
The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a part of United States history, it was not until the Progressive era that it came to be considered a movement. The first wave of the club movement during the progressive era was started by white, middle-class, Protestant women, and a second phase was led by African-American women.
The Woman's Era Club was an African-American women's civic organization founded in Boston, Massachusetts, in between 1892 and 1894 by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin. The Club was the first black women's club in Boston. The organization was especially well-known for the conflict caused when Ruffin attempted to desegregate the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) in 1900.
Carrie Thomas Alexander-Bahrenberg was a member of the University of Illinois board of trustees and a Republican civic and political activist.
The Sarasota County Library System is the public library system that serves Sarasota County in the U.S. state of Florida. It consists of 10 locations, including a central library located in the city of Sarasota.
The Woman's Improvement Club Clubhouse in Corona, California, at 1101 S. Main St., was built in 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
Lena Culver Hawkins was one of the first female mayors in the United States and a suffragist associated with the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and served as secretary of the Florida Federation of Woman's Clubs for twenty years. She was also an advocate for the Good Roads Movement.