Property Record
813 E KILBOURN AVE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Woman's Club of Wisconsin |
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| Other Name: | Athenaeum |
| Contributing: | |
| Reference Number: | 42318 |
| Location (Address): | 813 E KILBOURN AVE |
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| County: | Milwaukee |
| City: | Milwaukee |
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| Unincorporated Community: | |
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| Year Built: | 1887 |
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| Additions: | 1936 1950 1896 |
| Survey Date: | 1984 |
| Historic Use: | meeting hall |
| Architectural Style: | Early Gothic Revival |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Cream Brick |
| Architect: | Perce and Schley; Eschweiler and Eschweiler-1936; GEORGE BOWMAN FERRY-1887 |
| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Woman's Club of Wisconsin |
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| National Register Listing Date: | 10/4/1982 |
| State Register Listing Date: | 1/1/1989 |
| National Register Multiple Property Name: |
| Additional Information: | A 'site file' exists for this property. It contains additional information such as correspondence, newspaper clippings, or historical information. It is a public record and may be viewed in person at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Historic Preservation-Public History. PHOTOS 127/10-11 ARE FILED WITH JEFF DEAN'S NEGATIVES. Wing was added in 1936. Rear addition in 1950. Organized in 1876 as a society for literary and social purposes. Membership reflected a "Who's Who" roster of the civic and financial community. Original cost of building was $14,000. Capital stock was established at $25,000 at $25/share. Membership was 135. The Woman's Club of Wisconsin was founded in 1876. Thirty women at the first meeting pronounced themselves "not only weary, but rebellious" against the idea that they should restrict themselves to a quiet, house-bound life of child-rearing and service to the Lord. "We have as much right to dwell in the sunlight and make a noise as our brother man," the founders declared. Over the next several decades, the Woman's Club promoted educational opportunities for women and children, sponsoring lectures, art exhibits, dances, and other cultural and social activities. In 1886, club members launched the Athenaeum, the nation's first publicly owned stock company formed exclusively by women, to finance the construction of a clubhouse and to set a precedent for "other forms of co-operation among women." The Athenaeum proved a success on both counts. It raised money to build this clubhouse in 1887 and it directly inspired women in other cities to launch similar ventures. In the twentieth century, club activities range from helping the Red Cross and civil defense to providing services for the chronically ill and mentally disabled. The oldest part of this Victorian-era clubhouse has a symmetrical facade; an 1896 addition to the east added another gable, dormer, and entry unit. |
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| Bibliographic References: | MILWAUKEE HISTORIC BUILDINGS TOUR: YANKEE HILL, CITY OF MILWAUKEE DEPARTMENT OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, 1994. Milwaukee Sentinel 5/51887, 3/2. Milwaukee Sentinel 9/19/1886, 3/1. Milwaukee Sentinel 12/4/1887, 4/7. Building permit. Buildings of Wisconsin manuscript. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |