The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners in August approved a Historic Preservation Challenge Grant for the building owned and operated by the GFWC Brandon Junior Woman’s Club.
The $2,356 grant is for the continued rehabilitation of the property at 129 North Moon Ave., where the Brandon Woman’s Club first met in 1928, later forming a junior woman’s club. Today, only one club remains, part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), for women ages 18 and older.
According to club treasurer Donna Griffin, grant dollars will cover roughly half the cost of repairs to the building’s shell, most notably the side wooden shingles.
“Some of them are rotten, some are missing, some are faded,” Griffin said. “The contractor is going to replace [rotten] shingles, pressure-wash the building, restain faded shingles, fix and paint window casings and paint the trim.”
The clubhouse is one of Brandon’s oldest buildings, and the woman’s club is one of its most storied nonprofits. The original club launched in 1915, when 14 women at Alice Rankin’s home met to organize a home demonstration club.
Club members secured the Moon Avenue site in October 1925, having raised $50 for the down payment. Club members two years later raised enough money to start construction. On September 6, 1928, the 45-member club held its first meeting in the Moon Avenue building, which once served as a school, library and polling station.
The Hillsborough Historic Resources Review Board approved the landmark designation, in part because it found the club’s formation as a home demonstration club an excellent representation of the development of such clubs nationwide at that time. Also, because the building’s architectural design incorporates bungalow-style characteristics typical of the 1920s.
The club meets on the first Thursday of the month to advance its mission as a nonprofit service organization working to improve community life through donations, fundraising and volunteerism. Upcoming events include the yard sale on Saturday, October 5, from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. at the clubhouse. Boo Bash Bingo is set for Thursday, October 17, from 6-9 p.m. at the New Hope Church Conference Center, located at 213 N. Knights Ave. in Brandon.
Proceeds from both events benefit the club’s annual toy drive for children in low-income families, identified by counselors at 11-15 area schools. The clubhouse also is available to rent for affairs that attract up to 50 attendees.
“Our rates are very low, it’s very affordable, and it’s all part of giving back to the community,” Griffin said.
For more information, visit www.gfwcbrandonjuniors.org.
