Preserving the Stories of Historic Broadway in Santa Monica
- Publisher
- Oct 1
- 2 min read
Founded in 1921, the Philomathean Club was the first African American women’s charitable organization in Santa Monica. Longtime member Carolyne Edwards recalls, “They started by providing layettes for newborn babies, baskets at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and sometimes monetary donations if people were out of work. There were no other services available then for the new families.”
Through persistent fundraising efforts, rummage sales, and the support of their community, the Philomatheans built their Broadway hall in 1958. “It wasn’t just a building,” Carolyne explained. “It was upward mobility. These were African American women, most of them working as domestics, and yet they became entrepreneurs. They purchased commercial property, and that was rare. Once you accomplish something like this, you don’t just let it go.
Over time, the Philomathean Club expanded well beyond emergency aid – funding church windows, Little League uniforms, contributing to sickle cell research, disaster relief, and most notably, a college scholarship program that grew from a single award to over a dozen multiyear scholarships annually.
In April 2024, the City of Santa Monica officially designated the building as a City Landmark – the first such recognition along this historic stretch of Broadway and a long overdue affirmation of the neighborhood’s rich Black heritage.
Today, Philomathean Hall stands as one of only a handful of surviving buildings from the once-thriving Broadway neighborhood, most of which have been erased by redevelopment. For Carolyne, “It’s a visual reminder of the struggles these ladies overcame. Land ownership meant something different to our parents. This building tells a long story of resilience, of women who put their heads together and built something lasting. It represents our history.”
By Michael Ano
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