Built in 1921
Our Clubhouse & History
Passionate about Inspiring Others & Improving our Community
Inspired by an article, sixteen ambitious women met in March 1913 to organize what they hoped would be a service club. The outcome of that meeting came in June 1913 when nineteen ladies signed the Charter of Incorporation for the Woman's Club of Bradenton. Their motto, "be not simply good, be good for something".
In 1918, two lots on Wares Creek, at the corner of Manatee Avenue and Virginia Drive, were purchased for the sum of $2,500. The membership voted in 1920 to build a clubhouse. With only $11,500 in the treasury, a loan was secured from Bradenton Bank & Trust Company for $11,000. The final agreed-upon price with the architect was $23,000.
In 1921, the building was completed. The Club had a beautiful home to dedicate, but not a single chair to sit in. A distress meeting was called and enough was collected to buy chairs in time for the night of the building’s dedication.
These amazing ladies paid off the mortgage in 1925. Funds were raised through bazaars, rentals,
sewing projects, and selling lunches to local workmen who were building a new downtown hotel.
The final push came through a citywide capital campaign- showing just how important this
building was to our community. To this day, our building remains debt-free.
Our beautiful clubhouse was accepted into the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.