"The clubhouse of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Tallahassee, a stately structure at the entrance of Los Robles, is an historical landmark that has been the site of many civic, social, educational and entertainment events since 1927.
The Woman’s Club is over 100 years old! In 1903, six women met at the Leon Hotel, today the site of the Federal Court House, to form the Woman’s Club of Tallahassee: Miss Anna S. Chaires, Mrs. T. M. Shackleford, Mrs. George Davis, Mrs. Howard Gamble, Mrs. Charles Cay and Mrs. A. L. Randolph. Miss Chaires was selected as the first president. Almost immediately, their influence was felt in the community. Shortly after their formation, the Woman’s Club persuaded the city officials to screen the city market, place sidewalks on Monroe Street, improve the railroad station, plant trees and keep the cemetery in order. It became obvious that community service was their overall mission.
Education was a high priority. The Woman’s Club canvassed every property owner in the district and succeeded in calling and carrying on an election to raise taxes to build a new Leon High School. The Club nominated Trustees for this fund every year to ensure the success of the project. In 1910, Leon High School was built facing south Park Avenue between Bronough and Duval Streets.
By the 1920s, the Woman’s Club felt the need for a clubhouse and looked for suitable sites. With the advent of the automobile, it was possible to consider sites out in the country. One of these sites was in Los Robles, the first suburb, owned and developed by Lomblah and Thornton. The developers gave the Woman’s Club two lots. The plans for a clubhouse had been drawn by architect E.D. Fitchner. The Club House was completed on April 19, 1927.
During World War II, the Woman’s Club shared its Clubhouse with the American Red Cross, which was used for sewing and making surgical dressings, garments and whatever else was needed. Other community projects in the 1940s included donating 500 packets of garden seed to the County Demonstration Agent to distribute throughout the county and the donation of 114 pairs of adult shoes to the needy, 31 pairs of shoes and socks for children. The Club also raised $1,000 for an ongoing shoe purchase account.
When driving toward the Capitol on Apalachee Parkway, the viewer is drawn to the beauty of the landscaping. This is another project that involved the Woman’s Club. In 1960, the Woman’s Club, in cooperation with Malcolm Johnson, then editor of the Tallahassee Democrat, worked to obtain donated plants for the beautification of the then new Apalachee Parkway approach to the Capitol. A coupon was published daily in the paper for donors to complete and return for the plants they wished to pledge with their contributions. The State Road Department provided a crew to assist in the planting. Concurrently, members of the Woman’s Club worked with WMEN Radio City for whom they wrote copy, sold advertising, and did the announcing as a moneymaking project.
Many community projects too numerous to list were undertaken by the Woman’s Club in the decades that followed. However, several should be mentioned. Old documents, stored and almost forgotten by the State of Florida in the Old Jail, were retrieved by several Club members who spent countless hours sorting and identifying each of the documents. Some of these documents originated in the 1820s! Another project involved the Club's participation on the Bank Restoration Committee for the restoration of the Union Bank Building in 1980-82. The Bank, one of the oldest buildings of its kind, was restored by a legislative appropriation matched by other funds raised by the Union Restoration Committee of the city.
The Club provides scholarships for the woman over 30 returning to school, a scholarship annually to a high school student to attend the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Conference, and has purchased two Signature Seats in the Turner Auditorium at Tallahassee Community College for art student scholarships. The Club supports the Hacienda Girls Ranch in Melbourne, by providing birthday cards and gifts. The Club also provides funds, baskets of food, clothing and toys for ten families with chronically ill members, as part of the Community Improvement Project with the Florida Department of Health. Donations are made to the Habitat for Humanity, the Boys Choir of Tallahassee, Dr. Woody Smith's medical mission in Haiti, and a Peace Corps mission in Kolnia, Pohnpei, Philippines.
With the turn of the century came the winds of change and a Renaissance Flowering began in May 2000. The Club applied for a $300,000 historical preservation grant to restore the Clubhouse, began intensive fundraising to match the grant by sponsoring a series of events: a Designer Dress Gala, Art Gala, Health Symposium, Holiday Bazaar, Fashion Show Luncheon, applied for a new corporation under the name of GFWC Woman’s Club of Tallahassee, Inc., effective December 14, 2000, made application for non-profit classification of 501(c) 3, joined the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, co-sponsored Historical Preservation Day, designed and initiated a Club banner flown for the first time at the 3rd Annual Civic Club Luncheon, established a website, adopted two local libraries for the Library 2000 project, welcomed 40 new members into the Club, and upon receiving notice of the full grant award, began the process of restoring the roof and other restoration projects in compliance with the grant award.
With 100 years of continual service to the community and with its continued purpose of making the community a better place to live through its contributions, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Tallahassee celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003 with the Clubhouse restored to its original beauty, so that it can continue to be the revered and popular gathering place for civic, social, educational, and political events of the city."
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