Woman's Club of El Paso

Three woman are in front of the Clubhouse of the Woman's Club of El Paso. One of them is sitting in a convertible. The image probably dates from the beginning of the 1950s. Located at 1400 N. Mesa Ave, the building was designed by Otto H. Thorman and built by H. G. Ponsford in 1916. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s. The Woman's Club itself started in 1894. The intention of the women was to bring culture and the arts to this wild and wooly town. For example, they established the first kindergarten, fought for the pure food laws and city sanitation and they maintained soup kitchens during the Great Depression. They held the first art show, first flower show and first fashion show in the city. Today, the Club still exists and dedicates its work to the preservation of the historic Clubhouse, the improvement of conditions for women and the enhancement of the quality of life in its community.

Area: Central / El Paso High

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: MS576 Woman's Club of El Paso. Photo ID: threeWomenWithCar_LR.

Uploaded by: UTEP Library Special Collections

Eugenia Schuster

Eugenia Schuster (1865-1946) was born in 1865, into a Hungarian aristocratic family. She was educated in Vienna and studied piano under Franz Lizst. There, she also met her husband Dr. Michael P. Schuster. They had four children together. Dr. and Mrs. Schuster came to the United States in 1891 and settled in Kansas City where he had accepted the position of chief surgeon for the Consolidated Kansas City Smelting and Refining Company. Three years later, in 1894, the young couple came to El Paso where Dr. Schuster had accepted a similar position with the American Smelting and Refining Company (later ASARCO). In El Paso, Eugenia Schuster was involved in many organizations and activities and became one of the leading female figures in town: She spoke five languages fluently. Her interest in literature led her to organize the Shakespeare Reading Club. She was also an active member of the First Presbyterian Church. In 1902 Mrs. Schuster together with her husband and some others established the old Providence Hospital, the forerunner of the Providence Memorial Hospital. She was also active in the Woman’s Club of El Paso and became its president in 1905. In the year 1919 she founded the El Paso Pan-American Round Table and was made its first Director-General. Mrs. Schuster served on a variety of other boards, always supporting the El Pasoan community. She is also well remembered for her international endeavors, especially for improving the relations between Americans and Mexicans.

Area: Central / El Paso High

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: MS576 Woman's Club of El Paso. Photo ID: Eugenia Schuster.

Uploaded by: UTEP Library Special Collections

Clubhouse of Woman's Club of El Paso

Located at 1400 N. Mesa Ave, this building houses the Woman's Club of El Paso. Designed by Otto H. Thorman and built by H. G. Ponsford in 1916, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s. The Woman's Club itself started in 1894. The intention of the women was to bring culture and the arts to this wild and wooly town. For example, they established the first kindergarten, fought for the pure food laws and city sanitation and they maintained soup kitchens during the Great Depression. They held the first art show, first flower show and first fashion show in the city. Today, the Club still exists and dedicates its work to the preservation of the historic Clubhouse, the improvement of conditions for women and the enhancement of the quality of life in its community.

Area: Central / El Paso High

Source: C.L. Sonnichsen Special Collections, University of Texas at El Paso Library. Collection Name: MS576 Woman's Club of El Paso. Photo ID: Thorman.

Uploaded by: UTEP Library Special Collections