The club was established in June 1888 by Claribel Thompson and Lydia Nash as a literary study group called the Women's Reading Club.[1][2] It was initially an offshoot of the Ladies Aid Society of the First Congregational Church.[2] It was one of the west's first women's clubs.[3] The women first met in one another's homes, and then in civic forums such as the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall.[2] It moved into its current location, the 8,580 sq. ft.[4] Villa, in 1972. The building was completed in 1928 as a winter home for arts patron Josephine P. Everett by Sylvanus Marston and Edgar Maybury.[5] Everett occupied the home from 1928 until her death in 1937.[6] During the Cold War, it was used as a listening post and laboratory.[2] In 1966, Lily Crain, widow of musician Hal D. Crain--the former director of the Hollywood Boys Choir--purchased the Villa to use as a home and music conservatory but nothing materialized from the sale. [7] The building itself was granted an Architectural Landmark Designation by the City of Pasadena in 2018.[4]
The club helped in the development of Pasadena, as it sponsored lectures by city planning experts to promote major construction and city works projects.[8] In the modern era, the club hosts lectures, boosts philanthropic and educational projects, and hosts socials.[2]
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