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20th Century Club
Photo by Charles Miller, Courtesy of Nevada State Historic
Preservation Office |
Erected in 1925 by Roush and Belz to serve as the first women's club in
Reno, the 20th Century Club was part of a national movement organized
in 1894. The club was open to all women of good repute and of course the
most prominent women of the community were members. Prior to 1930, the
club was involved in many causes, ranging from passing laws prohibiting
spitting on sidewalks to education and social issues, in addition to serving
as a forum for discussion groups dealing with current events, the arts,
literature, etc. Membership in the 20th Century Club peaked at 1,000 in
its heyday. The club was also utilized by the entire community as a rental
space for parties, wedding and other functions. During World War II, it
was rented to the USO. Enough money was generated by these rentals for
the Club to hire a housekeeper and caterer to live on the premises.
Fred M. Schadler, a prominent Reno architect, designed the building. His
design for the club was drawn from the Prairie School, which utilized
strong horizontal lines, with the addition of Classical elements, such
as tall and prominent arched windows. Today, the one-story building, situated
on the western limits of the downtown core near the Truckee River, is
impacted by the larger-scale modern buildings in the vicinity.
The 20th Century Club is located at 335 West First St. in Reno.
It is privately owned and not open to the public.
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