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 | |
    | |
| Location | 245 South Lucas Avenue, Westlake district, Los Angeles, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°03′35″N 118°15′39″W / 34.059659°N 118.260757°W |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Frauenfelder, John J. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| NRHP reference No. | 95000581[1] |
| LAHCM No. | 352 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | May 11, 1995 |
| Designated LAHCM | 1988-04-08[2] |
History
editThe 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
editArchitect 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
editThe 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
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ "Designated Historic-Cultural Monuments | Office of Historic Resources, City of Los Angeles". Archived from the original on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ a b c Ella G. Dietrich, R.N. (April 1924). "How Los Angeles Nurses Financed Their Club House". The American Journal of Nursing.
- ^ a b c d e "Nurses to Build Home: Clubhouse Financed by Members Planned by Attendants' Organizationn of City". Los Angeles Times. 1923-05-20.
- ^ Jstor.org: "How Los Angeles Nurses Financed Their Club House"
- ^ "Clubhouse for Nurses to Appear: Corner-stone of Building Will be Laid Tuesday With Appropriate Services". Los Angeles Times. 1923-12-09.
- ^ a b c d "Nurses To Open Own Home: Clubhouse Unique in Country Will be Formally Occupied Thursday With Entertainment". Los Angeles Times. 1924-07-27.
- ^ "Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCM) Listing" (PDF). City of Los Angeles.[permanent dead link]