Historic and thriving: Renovations give new life to prominent downtown Peoria club

PEORIA – After years of quietly surviving, Peoria Women’s Club has embarked upon a second golden era.

Built in 1893, the club was an important cultural center in its heyday. Its members included many forward-thinking women who sponsored programs for the betterment of Peoria. But over the years, as more women began joining the workforce in greater numbers, membership in the club declined.

Ranked as the second oldest club in the U.S., today it is infused with a new energy, thanks in part to a $1.5 million donation from medtech entrepreneur Kim Blickenstaff that kicked off a renovation of the lovely, old building. Additionally, a new president and an active board are working to grow membership.

“We have been working on compiling a list of all the women’s not-for-profit organizations in Peoria, and our list is getting very long,” said president Kim Mitchell. “Our goal is that, next spring, we bring all the presidents, and/or a delegate of every women’s not-for-profit organization together here at PWC to share their mission and purpose and action items.”

The Peoria Women’s Club could become a hub for the many different groups, said public relations director Hannah Hernandez.

“The idea is to have mailboxes for each club, so if they don’t have a physical location, they can have a PO box here,” she said.

A restoration inside and out

On a recent weekday morning, workers were putting the finishing touches on a first-floor renovation that began this summer. It is the second phase of renovations – in the summer of 2022 the building’s exterior got some much-needed attention. The roof was repaired, the walls tuckpointed, and the windows were restored.

“We didn’t replace the windows — we restored them,” said Mitchell, pointing out the antique wavy glass filtering light into the building.

The $1.5 million gift that funded the exterior renovation inspired club leaders to work toward restoring the rest of the building, including the second-floor theater that has been out of commission since the 1970s. With the advice of building specialists, the renovation has been divided into phases, and club leaders are currently in the process of raising money to complete all eight phases.

“We wrote a very large grant with the National Park Service,” said Mitchell. “It is for the history of equal rights, about the women of this club and how important they were. They were very forward-thinking.”

The 27 women who founded Peoria Women’s Club had a deep impact on the community, said Hernandez.

“Peoria Players came out of here, and many other local programs,” she said.

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The club began in 1886 when Clara Parsons Bourland returned from Europe with a desire to promote music, literature and art. By the time Peoria Women’s Club was incorporated in 1890, it had 129 members. They met in the auditorium of the YWCA until an idea was hatched to form a stock company, selling shares for $10 to raise $25,000 to construct a building for the club.

Mitchell and Hernandez talked about the history of the club while standing in the theater, which is filled with natural light and has excellent acoustics. Aside from some plaster damage on the ceiling and peeling paint, the club’s unused second story is in surprisingly good condition. With old wooden folding seats and a set that was erected in the 1960s, the theater is like stepping back in time.

“We tested for asbestos and lead and there wasn’t any,” said Mitchel. “This building was constructed before they used any of that.”

Restoration of the theater is a few phases down the road. First on the list is an updated electrical system, along with installation of an elevator and a second exit from the theater, all of which are now required by code.

Members are key

While a restored building is important, the club members are key. On the board are women with diverse skills and talents, and ideas that will make the club successful for another 100 years.

“Our board is amazing,” said Mitchel. “We have entrepreneurs, we have women from the health care industry, from the financial industry, from promotional and marketing, and education. Our ideas are so rich and so long that it’s difficult to keep us all focused, so we are just trying to go back to our original mission and execute from that standpoint.”

Want to see what it looks like? The Peoria Women’s Club is one of seven properties on this year’s Peoria Historical Society Holiday Tour of Homes. Tickets are $20 in advance at 309tix.com or by calling the Peoria Historical Society at (309) 674-1921. Tickets will be $25 at the door. Children under 12 are free with adult admission.

More: Elegant architecture and a ghost: 7 Peoria properties will be part of annual holiday tour

Leslie Renken can be reached at (309) 370-5087 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Women's Club building undergoes renovation in downtown Peoria