Last updated: February 16, 2022
Place
Veterans Memorial Library and Woman's Club of St. Cloud Auditorium
Photograph by Marvin Robinson, courtesy of Florida State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
1012-1014 Massachusetts Avenue, St. Cloud, Florida
Significance:
Architecture, Social History, Women’s History, Entertainment Recreation
Designation:
Listed in the National Register – Reference number 100005413
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
The Veterans Memorial Library and the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium are two buildings located near downtown St. Cloud, Florida, joined together by a small one-story hyphen. The Veteran’s Memorial Library, dedicated in 1923, is a rectangular one-story Prairie Style building built of structural clay tile faced with stucco. The Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium is a relatively plain one-story concrete block building with flat roof and very little exterior ornament.
The Veterans Memorial Library, constructed in 1923, was the first building in the community custom-built for a library. It also served as the first permanent home of the Woman’s Improvement Club of St. Cloud, later the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud. The Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium, which was constructed in 1949, served as the clubhouse for the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud and also hosted numerous community gatherings and public performances over the course of its history.
In 1915, club president Mary George consulted Judge W.G. Peckham, a supporter of the library, about the purchase of lots from the SLIC on which to build a library. The library movement met a significant setback when the First National Bank failed on December 31, 1917, causing the club to lose 60% of its money. The women started raising money again with bake sales and socials but World War I forced them to delay any plans for a library. Between 1917 and 1921, the club focused primarily on relief efforts and war-related charitable causes, including Near East Relief and Red Cross work. Despite acquiring the land needed for the project, the club’s long term goal of constructing a permanent library facility did not become a reality until the early 1920s. In May 1921, William G. King, one of the founders of St. Cloud, decided to reach out to Union veterans across the country who were interested in the retirement colony of St. Cloud.
The architects for the Veterans Memorial Library were Isabel Roberts and Ida Annah Ryan, who had just opened the first female architectural firm in the city of Orlando and one of the first in the state, known as Ryan and Roberts. The Woman’s Improvement Club members were pleased to contract with women architects to design the building. Ida Annah Ryan (1873-1950) is perhaps best known as the first woman in the United States to receive a master’s degree in architecture when she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1906. She was also the first woman to receive a master of science degree from MIT. Isabel Roberts (1871-1955) after studying architecture under the architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, Roberts left to join Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural office. She was one of Wright’s first employees when he left Louis Sullivan and opened his own studio in Oak Park, Illinois. When Wright left for Europe, Roberts and other employees were charged with completing Wright’s unfinished commissions.
The dedication of the library was held on February 17, 1923. Sixty members of the Grand Army of the Republic and forty members of its auxiliary, the Woman’s Relief Corps, marched to the library for the flag-raising ceremonies. After the ceremony, the club handed the building over to the city of St. Cloud. The construction of the library was a major milestone for the club. Not only did it fulfil a major goal of providing the community with its first public library building, it was also the first permanent home of the club itself. They met here for club meetings for several years. The library also grew with the help of the city and the Works Project Administration (WPA). The money coming from government sources were intermittent, however, and the women were often forced to raise additional funds on their own. The club hired a full-time librarian in 1937 and purchased books to expand the library’s holdings. By now, they included a children’s hour to encourage literacy amongst the youth. By 1941, they acquired the library building and assumed ownership from the city. The ability of the library to not only survive, but thrive during this period is a testament to the resourcefulness of the club members.
The Woman’s Improvement Club became the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud in 1941 and became affiliated with the General Federated Woman’s Clubs. They continued to be a force in the community during this time. Although they were most associated with their efforts to establish and keep the library open, they were also involved in a wide variety of other community service activities. The library building served as a distribution point for these activities. They supported the county poor farm, the girl scouts, cemetery improvements, near east relief, and the American Red Cross among others. They were instrumental in establishing the local high school band and acquiring band uniforms for them in 1943 and were also involved in the establishment of a local historical society. During World War II, they distributed war bonds and were active in Red Cross medical drives and civil defense classes. They also opened their doors for servicemen and their wives.
As the club grew, they needed a facility in which to hold their cultural activities. Recognizing this, the club members decided to build an auditorium. The Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium was dedicated on February 25, 1949. It contained a large auditorium, a stage, a kitchen, storage rooms, and dressing rooms/bathrooms. The woman’s club relied heavily on the auditorium, which became the permanent clubhouse for the organization. The auditorium, which was designed to hold 400 people, became a center of much activity. The auditorium hosted musical concerts and lectures for the community; luncheons and breakfasts; art shows, contests, and classes; reading circles and nature study groups, among many other events. From 1952 to 1960, the auditorium hosted a series of international programs designed to raise money to help support people and communities in other countries. In 1953, they successfully petitioned the General Federation to send 100,000 agricultural implements to India.
The City of St. Cloud purchased the building in 2001 and began renovations to establish the St. Cloud Heritage Museum operated by the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud. It opened on Feb. 17, 2005 and houses records and artifacts of St. Cloud’s history.
The Veterans Memorial Library, constructed in 1923, was the first building in the community custom-built for a library. It also served as the first permanent home of the Woman’s Improvement Club of St. Cloud, later the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud. The Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium, which was constructed in 1949, served as the clubhouse for the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud and also hosted numerous community gatherings and public performances over the course of its history.
In 1915, club president Mary George consulted Judge W.G. Peckham, a supporter of the library, about the purchase of lots from the SLIC on which to build a library. The library movement met a significant setback when the First National Bank failed on December 31, 1917, causing the club to lose 60% of its money. The women started raising money again with bake sales and socials but World War I forced them to delay any plans for a library. Between 1917 and 1921, the club focused primarily on relief efforts and war-related charitable causes, including Near East Relief and Red Cross work. Despite acquiring the land needed for the project, the club’s long term goal of constructing a permanent library facility did not become a reality until the early 1920s. In May 1921, William G. King, one of the founders of St. Cloud, decided to reach out to Union veterans across the country who were interested in the retirement colony of St. Cloud.
The architects for the Veterans Memorial Library were Isabel Roberts and Ida Annah Ryan, who had just opened the first female architectural firm in the city of Orlando and one of the first in the state, known as Ryan and Roberts. The Woman’s Improvement Club members were pleased to contract with women architects to design the building. Ida Annah Ryan (1873-1950) is perhaps best known as the first woman in the United States to receive a master’s degree in architecture when she graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1906. She was also the first woman to receive a master of science degree from MIT. Isabel Roberts (1871-1955) after studying architecture under the architect Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, Roberts left to join Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural office. She was one of Wright’s first employees when he left Louis Sullivan and opened his own studio in Oak Park, Illinois. When Wright left for Europe, Roberts and other employees were charged with completing Wright’s unfinished commissions.
The dedication of the library was held on February 17, 1923. Sixty members of the Grand Army of the Republic and forty members of its auxiliary, the Woman’s Relief Corps, marched to the library for the flag-raising ceremonies. After the ceremony, the club handed the building over to the city of St. Cloud. The construction of the library was a major milestone for the club. Not only did it fulfil a major goal of providing the community with its first public library building, it was also the first permanent home of the club itself. They met here for club meetings for several years. The library also grew with the help of the city and the Works Project Administration (WPA). The money coming from government sources were intermittent, however, and the women were often forced to raise additional funds on their own. The club hired a full-time librarian in 1937 and purchased books to expand the library’s holdings. By now, they included a children’s hour to encourage literacy amongst the youth. By 1941, they acquired the library building and assumed ownership from the city. The ability of the library to not only survive, but thrive during this period is a testament to the resourcefulness of the club members.
The Woman’s Improvement Club became the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud in 1941 and became affiliated with the General Federated Woman’s Clubs. They continued to be a force in the community during this time. Although they were most associated with their efforts to establish and keep the library open, they were also involved in a wide variety of other community service activities. The library building served as a distribution point for these activities. They supported the county poor farm, the girl scouts, cemetery improvements, near east relief, and the American Red Cross among others. They were instrumental in establishing the local high school band and acquiring band uniforms for them in 1943 and were also involved in the establishment of a local historical society. During World War II, they distributed war bonds and were active in Red Cross medical drives and civil defense classes. They also opened their doors for servicemen and their wives.
As the club grew, they needed a facility in which to hold their cultural activities. Recognizing this, the club members decided to build an auditorium. The Woman’s Club of St. Cloud Auditorium was dedicated on February 25, 1949. It contained a large auditorium, a stage, a kitchen, storage rooms, and dressing rooms/bathrooms. The woman’s club relied heavily on the auditorium, which became the permanent clubhouse for the organization. The auditorium, which was designed to hold 400 people, became a center of much activity. The auditorium hosted musical concerts and lectures for the community; luncheons and breakfasts; art shows, contests, and classes; reading circles and nature study groups, among many other events. From 1952 to 1960, the auditorium hosted a series of international programs designed to raise money to help support people and communities in other countries. In 1953, they successfully petitioned the General Federation to send 100,000 agricultural implements to India.
The City of St. Cloud purchased the building in 2001 and began renovations to establish the St. Cloud Heritage Museum operated by the Woman’s Club of St. Cloud. It opened on Feb. 17, 2005 and houses records and artifacts of St. Cloud’s history.