urn:taro:rice.wrc.00222 Guide to the Woman's Building of Houston- Milford House papers, 1894-1976 Woodson Research Center 2005 Finding aid created by Philip Montgomery, Woodson Research Center August 01, 2005 Finding aid written inEnglish. 20050801 Edited with XMetal 2 by Philip Montgomery, according to instructions in TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions Woman's Building of Houston- Milford House papers, 1894-1976 Woodson Research Center 2005 Descriptive Summary Woman's Building of Houston Woman's Building of Houston- Milford House papers, 1894-1976 Materials are in English MS 388 1 lin. ft. (2 boxes) Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University, Houston, TX The collection consists of the membership documents, organizational documents and memorabilia of the Woman's Building of Houston, an organization founded in 1925 that was devoted to the creation of a building that would serve as a cultural and social center for Houston women. After over twenty-five turbulent years of fundraising and patience, the organization saw success when Milford House officially opened in 1953. Historical Note

In 1925, seventeen Houston women gathered to discuss the creation of a special building that would serve as a cultural and social center for Houston women. After years of planning, they announced a drive for the necessary $300,000 in 1928. "Men have their clubs, gathering places and organizations. Certainly the woman in this day need similar institutions," wrote a journalist in a April, 1928 Houston Chronicle article. The funds grew steadily, but the drive lost momentum over following two decades. In 1949, 39 of the 330 official members met to discuss the possibility of dissolving the organization. The members voted to continue the drive, and on Wednesday, November 11, 1953, Milford House was officially opened with a musicale and a tea. Milford House, officially operated by the Woman's Building of Houston, hosted many cultural and social events for women over the next two decades. The club membership dwindled in the 1980's, and Milford House, located at 1101 Milford, was sold to the Italian Cultural and Community Center of Houston in 1988. The club was disbanded shortly after.

 Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the Woman's Building of Houston membership documents, including five membership registries, organizational notes such as meeting notes, administrative papers and election results, correspondence regarding membership, Certificates of Membership, and Certificates with letters concerning the transfer of memberships. Also present is memorabilia from Milford House and the Woman's Building of Houston, including programs and clippings relating to women's musical groups, operas and musicals, newspaper clippings concerning the history of the Woman's Building of Houston and events hosted at Milford House, a diary with notes on Milford House and other organizations, and a notebook containing listings of donations to Milford House.

 Arrangement

This collection is arranged into two series:

Series I: Membership and Organizational Documents, 1928-1968 Series II: Memorabilia, 1899-1976 Access Restrictions

This material is open for research.

 Use Restrictions

Permission to publish material from the Woman's Building of Houston- Milford House papers must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

 Preferred Citation

Woman's Building of Houston- Milford House papers, 1894-1976, MS 388, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

 Acquisition Information

The collection was a gift from Miss Mayola F. Patton, Rice 1922, via her sister and brother-in-law, Mr. And Mrs. Haylett O'Neill, Jr, on October 2, 1984.

 Index Terms Subjects (Organizations) Women's History- Houston. Milford House. The Woman's Building of Houston Correspondence Newspaper Clippings Organizational Documents -- Membership Certificates Organizational Documents -- Notes Detailed Description of the Collection Series I: Membership and Organizational Documents, 1928-1968 11 Membership Registries, Books I-III, 1929 12 Membership Registries, Books IV-V, 1929-1953 13 Misc. Correspondence Re: Membership Certificates, 1928- 1966 14 Original Membership Certificates, 1928-1955 15 Membership Certificates with Letters of Transfer (filed by date of transfer), 1929-1953 16 Membership Certificates with Letters of Transfer (filed by date of transfer), 1954-1968, & n.d. 17 Notes from Meetings, Election Results, other Misc. Administrative Papers, 1939-1956 Series II: Memorabilia, 1899-1976 21 Programs for Women's Choral Club, Girl's Musical Club, Houston Symphony Orchestra, Treble Clef Club, & Private Recitals, 1899-1931 22 Clippings of Operas and Musicals, 1894-1929 23 Clippings of Operas and Musicals, n.d. 24 Newspaper clippings, 1928-1975 25 Diary containing notes Re: Milford House & other clubs, 1976 26 Notebook containing list of gifts to Woman's Building of Houston, 1926-1966