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 Punta Gorda Woman's Club - Punta Gorda, FL Posted by:  rogueblack
N 26° 56.110 W 082° 03.124
17R E 395555 N 2979688
Along historically preserved Sullivan Street in downtown Punta Gorda
Waymark Code: WM3DZA
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/21/2008
Views: 15
According to the Peace River Center for Writers website:
In 1925, the Punta Gorda Woman's Club consolidated several three clubs for women. The Women's Civic Association had undertaken such projects as building the Bath House. Because members of the Married Ladies Club were required to wear hats and gloves as they engaged in polite conversation at meetings, they were called the "tea drinkers." The Fortnightly Club was literary and studied Robert Browning, William Shakespeare, and read The Divine Comedy.
Currently on the National Register of Historic Places, the Woman's Club building was constructed in 1927 on land donated by Judge William Fenmore Cooper of Cook County, Illinois. The Spanish-Mission style parapet, attenuated tiled loggia, and triple-arch entrance closely resemble the Mediterranean Revival architecture of the Punta Gorda Railroad Depot, built the next year.
Inside, the hall has a 1920s-style footlights stage with painted canvas backdrop. In the wings are signatures of graduates of Charlotte High School as commencement exercises were held here until the high school auditorium was completed. It housed the Punta Gorda Public Library until 1957, and during World War II, it served as a USO.
In 2000, the Punta Gorda Woman's Club transferred the deed to the building to the Punta Gorda Historical Society. Currently, the headquarter of the Historical Society, the building may be rented for parties and other special occasions.
The Punta Gorda Woman's Club also features a flourishing garden along the side and back of the building with numerous dedications to several Punta Gorda residents.
Street address:
118 Sullivan Street
Punta Gorda, FL USA
33950
County / Borough / Parish: Charlotte
Year listed: 1991
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Education, Social; Library, Meeting Hall
Current function: Social, Clubhouse
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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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.
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