Woman's Club Inc.

   The Woman's Club, Inc. was organized in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on January 4, 1921. A meeting of representatives from some fifteen organizations met to discuss the need for a central meeting place for women in the different civic, social and cultural groups that were rapidly being formed during and after WWI. Fundraisers and benefits were begun almost immediately to raise funds to purchase such a place, including the sale of surplus WWI wool army blankets, which were sold in the summertime in downtown Baton Rouge. The Christian Church on the same location as our present building was bought in June of 1921.

   The Woman's Clubhouse quickly became a popular place for club meetings, social and cultural events. By 1936 this original building was in much need of repair and very inadequate so fundraising for a new building began. Construction started in December 1940 and the present clubhouse was completed in 1941. By 1946 the club members celebrated having paid off the mortgage.

   Most every well established woman's organization in Baton Rouge has met at one time or another at the Woman's Clubhouse. There were dance recitals, music recitals, book reviews, and eventually some thirty clubs meeting here on a regular basis. The first production of the Baton Rouge Little Theatre had its opening night on the stage of our original building. In 2000, the Woman's Clubhouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Beauregard Town Historic District and the Downtown Development District of Baton Rouge. The clubhouse's continuous presence in downtown Baton Rouge contributes to our city's spirit of renewal.

  The Woman's Club, Inc. still fulfills its original mission to provide a meeting place for women but it also preserves an historic clubhouse that is part of our city's heritage. There are over three hundred members in the Woman's Club, Inc. that support this wonderful facility. A Woman's Club Foundation has been established to ensure that the clubhouse flourishes for generations to come.

   Our history continues to unfold as a gracious contribution to our community. Baton Rouge has always been recognized for its civic pride, philanthropic generosity and strong cultural atmosphere. Truly the Woman's Clubhouse has played a tremendous role in that development.