Women’s club celebrates a century of history from its landmark building in SLO

Every day, hundreds of people drive past a historic building on upper Monterey Street in San Luis Obispo, maybe even wondering what it is.

If they do know the name of the graceful structure — the Monday Club — they still may feel in the dark about what the club is, what it does and why it has that name.

The Monday Club moniker applies to both the 90-year-old structure at 1815 Monterey St. and the 100-year-old women’s group that, for the past century, has been dedicated to its community and to preserving the historic landmark designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, the woman behind Hearst Castle.

The clubhouse Morgan created is more than a local treasure. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 10, 2016, based on the structure’s architecture, history and social impact.

This month, the club is celebrating its centennial.

There’s Monday Club fun ahead for the public, too

All year, members and fans have been honoring The Monday Club’s 10 decades of accomplishments fighting for women, children and their community.

The event calendar on Saturday, Sept. 28, includes a centennial ribbon cutting and period-costumed docents leading living history tours.

The docents will do that again on Sunday, Sept. 29, followed by an afternoon festivity with a premiere showing at 2 p.m. of “The Monday Club and the Women Who Built It.” The new documentary film, about the history of the club and its home, was produced by Emmy Award winning Robin Smith of Health and Harmony Media.

The last feature of Sunday’s festivities is a 2:45 p.m. lecture by noted local author/historian Victoria Kastner. She’ll talk about architect Morgan, designer of Hearst Castle and The Monday Club, among more than 700 other structures.

Those events are part of Doors Open California, the largest statewide celebration of historic places in California. Enthusiasts of historic architecture, design and cultural heritage will have access to select sites across the state over one weekend, Sept. 28-29.

Then on Oct. 19, the club will celebrate its past century at a two-phase gala with a dinner and live auction followed by an after-party with silent auction, food, drink and dancing to music by the Tipsy Gypsies band.

But still … why was it called the Monday Club?

Yes, the women meet weekly on Mondays and apparently always have, according to Board President Dawn Turner and others.

That should be enough, but maybe not, according to Turner and the upcoming documentary.

“What’s NOT said in the movie is that it (the club) was quite simply named the Monday Club because it meets on Mondays,” she said, even though that would make perfect sense. “In the day, when women’s clubs were developed, it was very common to name them things like, ‘The Tuesday Club,’ ‘The Friday Afternoon Club,’ etc.”

The reason why the name stuck for all those decades and if there was another explanation are probably buried in dusty archives and lost memories.

Monday Club engenders fierce loyalty among some of its members

For instance, Gerry Johnson of San Luis Obispo has been a fan for decades.

At 95, Johnson still drives, flies alone to visit family in the U.S. and remains firmly dedicated to and active in the Monday Club.

She’s been a continuous member for 61 years, she told The Tribune.

“It’s just wonderful! I’m delighted that I’m still a part of it,” she said, adding with a laugh that “everyone’s younger than me now, and I love their enthusiasm and energy, and all the friendships I’ve made there over the years.”

Johnson joined The Monday Club in 1963, the same year she and her husband opened the Johnsons for Children store.

“Our landlord, Mabel Dunklee, and Hilda Ferrini told me that, as a businesswoman, I had to join the Monday Club,” Johnson said.

“In those days, women still wore hats and gloves. We were not allowed in Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions. The women started the Monday Club so they’d have a social group of their own,” she added.

“Without the group, our beautiful building would have been in disrepair a long time ago,” Johnson said. “I don’t know if San Luis Obispo County residents know what a treasure it is, something to be proud of.”

Among those who know well the beauty and value of the Monday Club structure are people and organizations who rent the facility for weddings, meetings and other special events.

The Monday Club prevailed where its predecessors did not

The Monday Club has accomplished a lot in its first century of operation.

It grew out of a need and has been a success ever since it debuted in 1924, having been launched during the women’s movement and their search for recognition, equality and the vote.

The back story?

“The Monday Club came out of two women’s clubs in San Luis Obispo, the Book Club and the Home Culture Club,” Turner said. “There had been a women’s civic club previously, but due to financial difficulties and other issues, it was dissolved in 1923. This left an opening and a need for a women’s civic club in SLO.”

The new group wasn’t defined as a civic organization.

“When establishing this new club in 1924, the California Federation of Women’s Clubs discouraged the use of the word ‘civic’ in the name,” Turner said. “I believe this is largely because of the strife with the defunct women’s civic club.”

By three years later, according to the club’s website list of accomplishments, members already were working toward preserving Painted Rock and Dinosaur Caves, lobbying for stop signs, planting nasturtiums in vacant lots and city trees to help beautify the area, pushing to get meat and milk inspected, supporting Children’s Home/Sunny Acres, acquiring the lease for Mitchell Park and lobbying for the Southern Pacific train depot.

What the Monday Club does

The nonprofit’s motto is still “to enhance the educational, civic, social and cultural quality of the San Luis Obispo community,” although its efforts reach far beyond city limits.

The club has furthered those aims through, for instance, a Fine Arts Awards Program launched in 1962, which has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in music and other arts-education awards to high school students.

Since 2014, club members has participated in the national “Raising a Reader” program designed to foster a love of books and reading, especially in young children. “We not only get books into the hands of young children, but we donate other funds” that help support Raising a Reader classrooms throughout the county, Turner said.

The Monday Club provides active support for the Lumina Alliance to help those impacted by domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, and intimate partner violence.

Club members also are organizing a project to honor 100 women who made a difference in the community and the lives of the people who will nominate them. The aim is to create a “100 Years — 100 Women” book to commemorate the honorees, their accomplishments and impacts.

Each nomination costs $1,000, an amount that can be shared among various nominators. The $100,000 raised will go to the Monday Club Conservancy to help restore, protect and preserve the historic building and keep it available to the public.

Ask and ye shall receive? And so it was

The clubhouse was one of the more than 700 buildings designed by Morgan, the first woman to become a licensed architect in California.

So how did the Monday Club secure the talents of such a famous architect near the end of her career?

“At that time, Miss Morgan was working with William Randolph Hearst on the design and construction of (his) San Simeon castle,” the club’s website said.

“Cab driver Steve Zegar was known to drive her from the San Luis Obispo train station to San Simeon when she arrived by train from San Francisco. Miss (Monday Club board president Grace) Barneberg prevailed upon Mr. Zegar to inquire whether Miss Morgan might design a women’s clubhouse.”

Yes, she would, and what’s more, she made it financially possible.

“En lieu of charging professional fees, Miss Morgan asked if the membership would arrange for her room and board when she came to San Luis Obispo,” the website said. “Club members were delighted to help and took turns welcoming Miss Morgan into their homes.”

On May 11, 1934, the membership celebrated the dedication of the new building Julia Morgan had designed for them, a longed-for home for their beloved club.

On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28 and 29, 2024, they’ll do it again.