Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: The Coral Gables Woman's Club is an icon of civic infrastructure in Coral Gables. After organizing in 1923, club members raised $10,000 to construct this clubhouse on land donated by the city. Designed by preeminent South Florida architect H. George Fink, the building was completed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) using oolitic limestone (coral rock) from a local quarry. It was the first WPA project in Coral Gables. The clubhouse is one of the few remaining premier examples of Great Depression-era Moderne style architecture in Florida. One wing served as the first permanent location of the Library of Coral Gables. The other wing served as the clubhouse for the Woman’s Club, whose members had organized the library in 1927. To advance community outreach, the club members also established the Coral Gables Children's Dental Clinic here in 1939. The Woman’s Club took over the entire building after the library relocated in 1969, and continued to use the building for group functions. This building reflects the culture, education, growth and history of Coral Gables, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.