The Twentieth Century Club is a women's social club founded in the late 19th century in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...
, at 595 Delaware Avenue in the
Delaware District. It was the first club run by women, for women, in the United States.
The club developed out of the Graduates Association of the
Buffalo Seminary, spearheaded by Charlotte Mulligan, a teacher, writer and musician. She envisioned a club rich in tradition, education, and culture. Many lavish social events were held here, while education was the primary activity. Starting with an 1894 lecture on Abraham Lincoln, and continuing through the present, it has a long tradition of presenting speakers and programs on a wide variety of subjects. Its history parallels and chronicles the history of events in Buffalo and the enormous societal changes that occurred since its founding.
In 1894, the club purchased the present property and hired the firm of
Green & Wicks
Green & Wicks was an architectural firm of Buffalo, New York.
Practice
Edward Brodhead Green was an 1878 graduate of Cornell University's College of Architecture, and designed a number of buildings which made up Cornell's Agriculture Quadrangle ...
to design a clubhouse to add to the front of an existing
Baptist
Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...
church. The clubhouse is a three-story building in the
Italian renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...
style. The building is 78 feet wide and 96 feet deep. The first story is of Indiana
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
and the rest of the structure of pressed brick, of a warm red tone, with a cornice of
terra cotta
Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...
. The
Ionic order
The Ionic order is one of the three canonic classical order, orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric order, Doric and the Corinthian order, Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan order, Tuscan (a plainer Doric) ...
pillars across the front of the second story are of blue
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
. The original church structure at the rear of the lot was demolished in 1904 and a gymnasium, pool, showers, and a hot room were added.
History - Twentieth Century Club, Buffalo as an Architectural Museum website
/ref> Additional land and a formal garden were added to the rear of the property in 1933.[ ''Note:'' This includes an]
''Accompanying 10 photographs''
/ref> In 2011, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
See also
*
References
External links
History of the Twentieth Century Club of Buffalo
The Twentieth Century Club of Buffalo Collection on New York Heritage Digital Collections
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York
Women's club buildings in New York (state)
Renaissance Revival architecture in New York (state)
Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)
Buildings and structures completed in 1894
Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York
History of women in New York (state)
National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York
Green & Wicks buildings