Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club

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Coordinates: 26°07′18″N 80°08′36″W / 26.12167°N 80.14333°W / 26.12167; -80.14333
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Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club
Formation1911
TypeWomen's club
Location
Coordinates26°07′18″N 80°08′36″W / 26.12167°N 80.14333°W / 26.12167; -80.14333
Region served
Broward County, Florida
Websitefortlauderdalewomansclub.org
Formerly called
Woman's Civic Improvement Association
Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club
Built1917
ArchitectAugust Geiger
Architectural styleMediterranean Revival
MPSClubhouses of Florida's Woman's Clubs Multiple Property Submission
NRHP reference No.100003404[2]
Added to NRHPFebruary 4, 2019

The Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club is a women's club in downtown Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They completed their clubhouse building in 1917 which the National Register of Historic Places listed in 2019 as part of a Multiple Property Submission.[2]

History[edit]

Eighteen women founded what was then "Woman's Civic Improvement Association" in 1911, just before the city was incorporated. The group helped found a number of other civic organizations including Fort Lauderdale's first library, first Girl Scout troop, and first Red Cross office.[3] After a fire destroyed much of downtown in 1912, they helped establish a volunteer fire department with the Board of Trade.[1]

One of the founders was Ivy Julia Cromartie Stranahan, a prominent citizen dubbed the "mother of Fort Lauderdale".[4] Stranahan was a strong proponent of rights for women, Native Americans, and African Americans. She was the first schoolteacher in Fort Lauderdale and the first president of the club. In 1913, Stranahan and her husband, business leader Frank Stranahan, donated the lot for the clubhouse's construction as well as the surrounding land for what's now named Stranahan Park.[3]

1924, the club established a revolving loan to help women attend college.[5] During World War II, the club bought enough war bonds that they had a bomber named after them.[6]

In 1969, former club president Virginia S. Young became Fort Lauderdale's first and so far only female mayor. In 2007 the club elected Alice Sakhnovsky as the club's first African American president.[5]

A homeless encampment had been located at the adjacent Stranahan Park for years.[7] In 2017, the city forcibly cleared the camp following club complaints.[3]

Today the Club rents out the building for wedding receptions and other events and markets the park as a botanical garden.[3] Each January, city officials meet at the club for an informal goal-setting workshop for the year ahead.[8]

Architecture[edit]

Parking lot entrance with West Marine headquarters in background

August Geiger designed the 1917 building in a Mediterranean Revival style. In 1949, the group built an addition on the back that nearly doubled the size.[6]

The exterior has gray stucco siding with a red barrel tile roof. The front entrance has a three-bay arcaded porch while the side has an enclosed portico that serves as an entrance off the parking lot.[6]

The interior consists of a large meeting hall, kitchen, restrooms, and a smaller meeting space. There is a brick fireplace with a copper hood and Dade County pine floors throughout.[6]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Vreeland, Cordelia D. (1990) [First published August 4, 1925]. "The Fort Lauderdale Women's Club". Fort Lauderdale News (Summer/Fall ed.). Republished by Broward Legacy. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "National Register of Historic Places Weekly Lists 2019" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. December 23, 2019. p. 19. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Wallman, Brittany (March 25, 2019). "Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club added to National Register of Historic Places". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  4. ^ Tester, Hank (March 13, 2023). "'She was an amazing person,' Stranahan House guide remembers accomplished Ivy Stranahan". CBS News. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  5. ^ a b "Our History". Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d White, Gillian (August 14, 2018). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Fort Lauderdale Woman's Club" (PDF). Republished by Tribune Publishing. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  7. ^ Muñoz, Katie (May 17, 2018). "One Year After Tent City Raid, Homeless Lawsuit Against City of Fort Lauderdale Continues in Court". WLRN-TV. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  8. ^ Susannah, Bryan (May 17, 2018). "Where does Fort Lauderdale Stand on its goals? A look at what the city did in 2021 and what's coming in 2022". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
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