The College Club of Boston
Encyclopedia
The College Club of Boston is a private membership organization founded in 1890 as the first women's college club
in the United States. Located in the historic Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts at 44 Commonwealth Avenue, the College Club was established by nineteen college educated women whose mission was to form a social club where they and other like-minded women could meet and share companionship. The College Club of Boston the oldest residential college club in the United States.
In April 1905, the College Club acquired the clubhouse at 40 Commonwealth Avenue, which contained an Old English drawing room, a fine big cafe with a male chef, and seven bedrooms, each of which "were furnished and decorated in the colors of various women's colleges: crimson rambler wallpaper for Radcliffe
, blue silk curtains for Wellesley, white (with brass beds) for Smith
, dawn pink and gray for Vassar
." At that time, the College Club served 600 members, which grew to 1,243 members by 1915.
In 1924 the Club purchased 44 Commonwealth Avenue, which was the family home of Royal E. Robbins
, a major stockholder in the Waltham Watch Company
, and once the home of American stage
actress Maude Adams
. The brownstone
townhouse was built in 1864 and was designed in the High Victorian style.
From its earliest days, The College Club was host to literary luminaries such as Mark Twain
, Vladimir Nabokov
, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, and novelist F. Marion Crawford. Other well-known visitors to the Club have included actress Sarah Bernhardt
, social activist Julia Ward Howe
, abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone
, health care advocate Judy Norsigian and Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Club members took up the cause of educational philanthropy in 1985 and established The College Club Scholarship Fund, Inc. as an IRS 501(c)(3) designated charitable organization. The endowed fund is administered by Club members. Each year since 1986, the Scholarship Fund has awarded college tuition
assistance to deserving high school seniors from Boston Public Schools
.
On May 20, 2002, the City of Boston certified the club's status as the oldest (i.e., first) women's college club in the United States.
Women's club
Women’s clubs, also known as woman's clubs, first arose in the United States during the post-Civil War period, in both the North and the South. As a result of increased leisure time due to modern household advances, middle-class women had more time to engage in intellectual pursuits...
in the United States. Located in the historic Back Bay of Boston, Massachusetts at 44 Commonwealth Avenue, the College Club was established by nineteen college educated women whose mission was to form a social club where they and other like-minded women could meet and share companionship. The College Club of Boston the oldest residential college club in the United States.
History
In December 1890, 76 Marlborough Street, also located in Boston's Back Bay, became the first home of The College Club. The building at 76 Marlborough was purchased by Club member Mabel Cummings in 1893.In April 1905, the College Club acquired the clubhouse at 40 Commonwealth Avenue, which contained an Old English drawing room, a fine big cafe with a male chef, and seven bedrooms, each of which "were furnished and decorated in the colors of various women's colleges: crimson rambler wallpaper for Radcliffe
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
, blue silk curtains for Wellesley, white (with brass beds) for Smith
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, dawn pink and gray for Vassar
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
." At that time, the College Club served 600 members, which grew to 1,243 members by 1915.
In 1924 the Club purchased 44 Commonwealth Avenue, which was the family home of Royal E. Robbins
Royal E. Robbins School
The Royal E. Robbins School is a historic school building at 58 Chestnut Street in Waltham, Massachusetts.The building was built in 1901 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989....
, a major stockholder in the Waltham Watch Company
Waltham Watch Company
The Waltham Watch Company, also known as the American Waltham Watch Co. and the American Watch Co., produced about 40 million high quality watches, clocks, speedometers, compasses, time fuses and other precision instruments between 1850 and 1957...
, and once the home of American stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
actress Maude Adams
Maude Adams
Maude Ewing Kiskadden , known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American stage actress who achieved her greatest success as Peter Pan. Adams's personality appealed to a large audience and helped her become the most successful and highest-paid performer of her day, with a yearly income of more...
. The brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
townhouse was built in 1864 and was designed in the High Victorian style.
From its earliest days, The College Club was host to literary luminaries such as Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
, Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
, poet Oliver Wendell Holmes, and novelist F. Marion Crawford. Other well-known visitors to the Club have included actress Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, social activist Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
, abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone was a prominent American abolitionist and suffragist, and a vocal advocate and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She spoke out for women's rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged...
, health care advocate Judy Norsigian and Senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Club members took up the cause of educational philanthropy in 1985 and established The College Club Scholarship Fund, Inc. as an IRS 501(c)(3) designated charitable organization. The endowed fund is administered by Club members. Each year since 1986, the Scholarship Fund has awarded college tuition
College tuition
The term college tuition refers to fees that students have to pay to colleges in the United States. Pay increases in the U.S. have caused chronic controversy since shortly after World War II. Except for its military academies, the U.S. federal government does not directly support higher education...
assistance to deserving high school seniors from Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools
Boston Public Schools is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Leadership:The district is led by a Superintendent, hired by the Boston School Committee, a seven-member school board appointed by the Mayor after approval by a nominating committee of specified...
.
On May 20, 2002, the City of Boston certified the club's status as the oldest (i.e., first) women's college club in the United States.
See also
- General Federation of Women's ClubsGeneral Federation of Women's ClubsThe General Federation of Women's Clubs , founded in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service...
, founded 1890 - National American Woman Suffrage AssociationNational American Woman Suffrage AssociationThe National American Woman Suffrage Association was an American women's rights organization formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association...
, founded 1890
External links
- Official website of The College Club of Boston
- Neighborhood of The College Club of Boston