Los Angeles Nurses' Club

Los Angeles Nurses' Club is a clubhouse and apartment building for nurses located in the Westlake district of Central Los Angeles, California.

Los Angeles Nurses' Club
Los Angeles Nurses' Club, 2008
Location245 South Lucas Avenue,
Westlake district,
Los Angeles, California
Coordinates34.059659°N 118.260757°W / 34.059659; -118.260757
Built1924
ArchitectFrauenfelder, John J.
Architectural styleLate 19th And 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.95000581[1]
LAHCM No.352
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMay 11, 1995
Designated LAHCM1988-04-08[2]

History

The large building was built in 1924 by the Los Angeles Nurses' Club. The club was organized and incorporated as a non-profit corporation in 1921.[3]

The club's members conducted several bazaars, some theatre parties, and a dance, raising funds to buy a lot, which they then sold for a profit.[3] By 1923, the club had raised sufficient funds to purchase a hilltop lot at the corner of Third Street and Lucas Street, west of Downtown Los Angeles in the Westlake district.[3][4][5]

The clubhouse was intended to provide a place "where registered nurses may live and enjoy the few quiet hours spared from their arduous duties."[4]

Building

Architect John J. Frauenfelder was hired to design the building.[4] Frauenfelder designed a structure consisting of four stories and a basement. The ground floor had a large living room with a library and fireplace, which was intended to lend a "home-like atmosphere to the clubhouse."[4] Frauenfelder's plans also included an auditorium for lectures and motion pictures. A garden was built at the rear of the building with views of the mountains.[4] The structure included housing for 100 nurses and was also the headquarters of the group's professional activities, including the city's Central Registry for nurses.[6][7]

When completed in 1924, the building was the first clubhouse in the United States to be entirely financed and built by and for nurses.[7] The cost of building the structure was $160,000.[7] The "Angelus Sextette", composed of nurses from the Angelus Hospital, sang at the dedication ceremony in 1924.[7]

Landmark

The Los Angeles Nurses' Club building was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Board in April 1988 (HCM #352).[8] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-10-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Ella G. Dietrich, R.N. (April 1924). "How Los Angeles Nurses Financed Their Club House". The American Journal of Nursing.
  4. "Nurses to Build Home: Clubhouse Financed by Members Planned by Attendants' Organizationn of City". Los Angeles Times. 1923-05-20.
  5. Jstor.org: "How Los Angeles Nurses Financed Their Club House"
  6. "Clubhouse for Nurses to Appear: Corner-stone of Building Will be Laid Tuesday With Appropriate Services". Los Angeles Times. 1923-12-09.
  7. "Nurses To Open Own Home: Clubhouse Unique in Country Will be Formally Occupied Thursday With Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. 1924-07-27.
  8. "Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM) Listing" (PDF). City of Los Angeles.
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