The Twentieth Century Club is a women's social club founded in the late 19th century in Buffalo, New York, at 595 Delaware Avenue in the Delaware District. It was the first club run by women, for women, in the United States.[1]
Twentieth Century Club | |
 East elevation, 2010 | |
  Location within New York  Twentieth Century Club (Buffalo, New York) (the United States) | |
| Location | 595 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, New York |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°54′1″N 78°52′23″W / 42.90028°N 78.87306°W |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architect | Green & Wicks |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 11000270 |
| Added to NRHP | May 11, 2011 |
The club developed out of the Graduates Association of the Buffalo Seminary, spearheaded by Charlotte Mulligan, a teacher, writer and musician.[2] She envisioned a club rich in tradition, education, and culture. Many lavish social events were held here, while education was the primary activity. Starting with an 1894 lecture on Abraham Lincoln, and continuing through the present, it has a long tradition of presenting speakers and programs on a wide variety of subjects. Its history parallels and chronicles the history of events in Buffalo and the enormous societal changes that occurred since its founding.[3]
In 1894, the club purchased the present property and hired the firm of Green & Wicks to design a clubhouse to add to the front of an existing Baptist church. The clubhouse is a three-story building in the Italian renaissance style. The building is 78 feet wide and 96 feet deep. The first story is of Indiana limestone and the rest of the structure of pressed brick, of a warm red tone, with a cornice of terra cotta. The Ionic order pillars across the front of the second story are of blue marble. The original church structure at the rear of the lot was demolished in 1904 and a gymnasium, pool, showers, and a hot room were added.[4][5] Additional land and a formal garden were added to the rear of the property in 1933.[6] In 2011, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Index - Twentieth Century Club, Buffalo as an Architectural Museum website
- ^ LaChiusa, C. History - Twentieth Century Club. Buffalo AH. buffaloah
.com /a /del /595 /hist /hist .html - ^ - Twentieth Century Club of Buffalo, New York Heritage Digital Collections
- ^ Buffalorising.com blog, "My Favorite Buildings: 20th Century Club"
- ^ History - Twentieth Century Club, Buffalo as an Architectural Museum website
- ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2016-07-01. Note: This includes Francis R. Kowsky and Martin Wachadlo (September 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Twentieth Century Club" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-01. and Accompanying 10 photographs
- ^ "National Register of Historic Places listings for May 20, 2011". National Park Service. May 20, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2011.