Laurelhurst Club minute book and newsletters

Collection

Identifier: Coll 1051

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of a minute book of the Laurelhurst Club of Portland, Oregon, and issues of the club's semi-monthly newsletter, Laurelhurst Club Life. The minute book contains typed minutes for meetings held from January 1918 to March 1931. Newsletters in the collection consist of a bound volume of issues from September 1916 to March 1923, scattered loose issues from 1917 and 1918, and loose issues from October 1925 to October 1929. The newsletters include club and local news, recipes, and advertisements for local businesses. The volume and loose issues combined represent a substantial run of the newsletter's issues between 1917 and 1929, with significant gaps for May 1919 through February 1920 and April 1923 through September 1925. The collection also includes a copy of the club's bylaws and rules that had been placed with the minutes for a meeting on January 10, 1921.

Dates

Creation: 1916-1931

Creator

Laurelhurst Club (Portland, Or.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

The Laurelhurst Club was formed in late 1912 to provide community activities for residents of the newly-developed Laurelhurst neighborhood in southeast Portland, Oregon. In 1914, it opened a clubhouse at 1125 East Ankeny Street (later 3721 SE Ankeny Street). In its early days, the club had seven tennis courts, a rose garden, and an orchestra, and it hosted a variety of activities. The club's members also took an active interest in community affairs. In the 1930s, the club's character changed, and it became primarily an adult dancing club. Membership was also expanded to anyone living in Portland.

The club, which had 492 members during World War I, consisted of 55 couples by 1992. The club eventually became defunct, and as of 2024, the clubhouse is owned by the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association.

Sources: "Laurelhurst Club to Build," Oregonian, January 15, 1913; "Society News," Oregonian, December 22, 1914; "There's a Dance or 2 Left in This Old Club," Oregonian, December 10, 1992; information provided by Dian Odell and Kayleen Kusterer in 2024.

Extent

0.74 Cubic Feet (1 legal document case; 1 flat box (11x14))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

A minute book for the Laurelhurst Club of Portland, Oregon, and a bound volume and loose individual issues of the club's semi-monthly newsletter, Laurelhurst Club Life. The Laurelhurst Club was formed in late 1912, and opened a clubhouse on SE Ankeny Street in 1914. Membership declined later in the 20th century, and the club eventually became defunct. As of 2024, the clubhouse was owned by the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Due to fragility, the bound volume of newsletters requires special handling to view.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Record book and bound volume of newsletters, gift of the Laurelhust Neighborhood Association, June 2024 (RL2024-038); loose newsletter issues, gift of James R. Kuhn, July 2003 (Lib. Acc. 25208).

Related Materials

Other materials at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to the Laurelhurst Club are in the Associations and institutions collection, Mss 1511.

Processing Information

During processing, the entirety of the September 15, 1916, issue of Laurelhurst Club Life and pages 1-6 of the October 1, 1916, issue were photocopied and the originals discarded due to severe damage.