Working for women SM Bay Woman’s Club looking for a little help from the local community
FOURTH STREET From the outside, the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club looks like a fortress, its stark gray façade cold and uninviting to those passing by, most with no clue as to the history behind the landmark, built in 1914 to house the philanthropic organization that has helped send kids to college, entertain soldiers on leave and provide medical care to the city’s uninsured.
Step through the sturdy wooden doors and that history comes alive. Straight ahead is the dance floor and stage where big bands rocked the house for World War II vets and Richard Simmons filmed his first “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout tape. The golden hardwood floors are original, smooth and shiny from decades of use — perfect for doing the moonwalk with 250 of your clos-est friends.
Along the sides are stairs leading up to the second floor, a spacious area with room for 150 people and balconies that overlook the stage below. French doors adorn the rear, allowing light to filter in, creating shadows that run from one side of the spacious hall to the other.
It’s a romantic sight, but look closely and the flaws become clear. Paint is peeling from the walls, newel posts are chipped and the ceilings show signs of water damage with round patches of light brown. An enormous skylight is covered by acoustic paneling, hiding the true beauty of the hall.
Darlene Bahr and the rest of the club’s members are trying to restore that beauty for generations to come. They plan to do this by hosting fundraisers and applying for grants, as well as using parking revenues generated by an adjacent lot the club owns. The space is also available for rent — around $300 for four hours — with a local swing club one of the regular tenants. Restoring the space could cost as much as $2 million or more, but Bahr is determined to not only reach that goal, but to surpass it, setting the stage for younger members to carry on the legacy.
“Our goal is to bring it back to its former glory, to make it a community center once again,” said Bahr, a retired dietitian from Minnesota who settled in Santa Monica in 1982. “It’s a beautiful space and when we fix it up, I think it will draw a lot of people in.”
Built in 1914, the impressive structure on Fourth Street just south of Wilshire Boulevard has been all but shuttered for the past two decades. Members still meet regularly but the level of activity has slowed considerably since the glory days of the 1930s through the 1960s when there was a juniors club, a needle work guild and a “well baby clinic,” to treat low-income children.
Members used to roll bandages for the Red Cross and knit and bake for charity. By the 1950s the club boasted 700 members, up from the original 88 or so when it was organized by Elmira T. Stephens.
In the beginning, members held meetings in various public halls around town. Feeling the need for a permanent home, the club tried to secure a site. Two lots on the corner of 11th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard were given to the club with the privilege of selling them if another location was found. Later a site was chosen at 1210 Fourth Street with a frontage of 75-feet. Member S.J. Engleston raised $2,600 to help pay for the site and the 11th Street lots were sold for $1,800, money that was used to start a clubhouse fund.
The key to the club’s survival is bringing in new members. Since Bahr took over as president four years ago, the club has grown from 27 members, its lowest level, to just over 100 members and growing. The club recently won the “Blue Dolphin Trophy” from the Federation of Woman’s Clubs for increasing membership by 27 percent last year.
“We are looking to these younger members to carry the torch,” Bahr said.
Membership dropped off because of the changing times. Women no longer stayed at home and raised kids, leaving them time to volunteer. During the ‘60s women began to venture out into the workforce and attended universities at a much higher rate, leading them to put off having children to focus on their careers. Others were forced to raise children on their own because of divorce, leaving even less time to organize bake sales and the like.
Bahr feels the time is right to continue growing the membership, putting the club back on the social map. There are tango dances classes every week, a ballet class during the day that charges only $3 and the Junior League of Women is using the club for workshops and leadership classes.
“The activity is increasing, but we still are nowhere near where we need to be in terms of raising money for the restoration,” Bahr said as she flipped through an old scrapbook filled with faded newspaper clippings from the Evening Outlook.
“The money we make barely covers operating expenses and maintenance. We spend about $5,000 a month sometimes just on minor repairs. The hope is to restore the building so that we can save that money for other things, like scholarships for students.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 24, 2008. Read the original PDF.