History

The Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia was founded by 21 women in May 1928--a simpler time when educated and cultured women were enjoying new freedoms and new opportunities outside the home. Some made inroads into the professions, industry, the arts and business. Some devoted their time to community organizations.

It was not a university women's club, though many of its members were college graduates; it was not a social club per se, though many of its members were dominant forces on the social scene; it was not a charitable organization, though many were active on boards of various civic and cultural organizations.

A good many of the Club's early members had belonged to the "Foreign Devils," a lively organization of women not native to Philadelphia. Many of their friends joined them in helping to form the Club and seek a clubhouse of their very own. The first application form stated that the Club membership already includes musicians, sculptors, decorators, writers, poets and educators--an extraordinary beginning for the Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia.

Today, our wonderful Club continues to provide a warm welcome for women to come together around exciting programs, a wide array of activities, good food and friendship.