Garret Club - Buffalo, NY - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Following the Civil War, women in the United States began to form various organizations to promote their well-being and advancement. Women's social clubs were an important part of this development, which eventually led to the ongoing struggle for gender equality in all occupations and areas of modern life.

The early history of the Garret Club mirrored the progress of many women's clubs. In the winter of 1902, Margaret Scatcherd, the 27 year old daughter of a well-to-do Buffalo family, invited a group of her friends to meet at her Delaware Avenue home to discuss the formation of a women's club. Their intention was to create a congenial place in which to socialize away from home. In March 1902, the club officially constituted itself with a limited membership of 100.

Their first headquarters was in rented rooms at 18 Ashland Avenue. Because the furnishings consisted of items donated by members from their attics, the women chose to name their organization The Garret Club. The club enjoyed immediate success, and in 1903 the women moved to larger rented space in a house at 205 Bryant Street. Gradually, the furnishings indicated a more serious purpose.

In 1905, The Garret Club set up a building fund to someday construct its own permanent structure. 11 years later, the club decided to build their own clubhouse. They purchased a lot at 91 Cleveland Avenue and hired Robert North to design the plans. A frame building costing $18,000 was built by the end of the year.

By the time The Garret Club was 25 years old, they had outgrown their current home so they began discussions about having North enlarge the current 1916 structure. Nothing came of these discussions so in 1928 another committee was formed and turned to E.B. Green Jr., son of famous Buffalo architect E.B. Green, to design a new building on a new site. The club's members changed their minds and decided to expand the current building. In the spring of 1929, the north side of the house was demolished to make way for the expansion. The new clubhouse opened on December 21, 1929 and still is in operation with a thriving membership.

Street address: 91 Cleveland Ave Buffalo, NY United States 14222 County / Borough / Parish: Erie Year listed: 2007 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture, Social History Periods of significance: 1929-1956 Historic function: Social: Clubhouse Current function: Social: Clubhouse Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 1: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.