Cosmopolitan club of Philadelphia
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The Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia
History
The Club was founded in June of 1928 by a group of women who were not native to Philadelphia. They were a lively, loose-knit bunch who met in each others' homes for discussions, performances and readings and called themselves "The Foreign Devils." By January 1930, the members had purchased the lot at 1616 Latimer Street, and in short order had overseen the construction of the wonderful Art Deco building and opened it for occupancy in September. An astonishing series of programs followed, which included a play reading by Edna St. Vincent Millay and talks by Thornton Wilder, George Gershwin and Eva LeGallienne. It was an inspired legacy. What the women in 1928 had the vision to create continues to this day.
The members of the Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia are diverse in every respect but one. They are all women. However, they represent a widely diverse array of ages, races, cultures, interests, skills, professions and sympathies. Resident members live in the Philadelphia region; non-resident members are from various states across the country and abroad. Today the Club includes approximately 500 active participants in all types of enterprises in Philadelphia and the surrounding communities. As they did in 1928, members continue the Club's tradition of service to the Philadelphia community, working effectively in volunteer organizations and as professionals in fields such as medicine, law, science, human and civic service, international affairs, the arts, education and business. Thirty-eight of the Club's past and present members have been named Distinguished Daughters of Pennsylvania. Thirteen have won the Gimbel Award, and many have been honored for their accomplishments in their professional, academic and volunteer communities.
