It’s hard to imagine a time when the intersection of Mill Avenue and 13th Street — just across from Gammage Auditorium in Tempe — was considered “too far out of town.”
That was a complaint when the Tempe Woman’s Club was first built there nearly 90 years ago.
Luanne Davis is the current president of the club founded in 1912.
“And I think at that time it was called the Mother’s Club. In 1913, they joined an international organization called the General Federation of Women’s Clubs,” Davis said.
Tempe Woman’s Club
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Handout
Members of the Tempe Woman’s Club in 1967. The goal of the club is to perform acts of service in the community.
And the chief purpose was to perform acts of service. A legacy that continues to this day. The club built its headquarters in 1936.
“It’s one of a few adobe buildings left in Tempe, and I suppose the Valley for that matter,” Davis said.
Tempe Woman’s Club
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Handout
The Tempe Woman’s Club building is made of adobe.
Davis says the club fell into disrepair after the group briefly lost the building in 2017 due to mismanagement. They got the club back through a court order in 2024, “Actually [we] got the keys in 2025.”
Since then, they’ve been making much needed improvements including paint and a new HVAC unit. The hope is to start renting out the club and use that revenue to maintain the building.
Besides making updates to the building, the club has also updated its membership policy.
“Men can join. Absolutely. We have about six [or] seven men who are members of the club,” including Tempe’s Mayor Corey Wood, she said.