How a Historic Hollywood Institution Fell Into Crisis

Charlie Chaplin played piano and Jean Harlow attended school on the grounds of the Woman’s Club of Hollywood. This hidden gem was integral in the origin story of the entertainment capital of the world, however, at the time of this printing, the once-thriving property is scheduled to be sold at auction. In 1905, at a time when women couldn’t yet vote, a group of about 20 dedicated and powerful members — led by its first elected president, Mrs. J. O. Churchill— worked to create The Woman’s Club of Hollywood. Before that, there was no Chinese Theatre or Hollywood Sign. There was no film industry in California, and movies themselves barely existed as novelties imported from Europe or Thomas Edison’s plant in New Jersey. Hollywood itself was an independent city of some 500 residents — a sleepy patch of rural farmland along the Cahuenga Pass that was mostly barley fields and orange trees. A single set of railroad tracks ran down what would become Hollywood Boulevard. A few years ear