Clubs were a popular way for students with common interests to meet on the North Texas State Teacher College (now the University of North Texas). Where to get together was the problem. In the 1920s two campus clubs, the Girl Scouts and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA,) joined forces to raise money for a common meeting place on campus. They ran a small store, known as the “Little Co-op,” in the basement of the Library (now known as Curry Hall). By 1925, they had raised $9,000 and set about buying a house just east of campus, on Avenue A and Sycamore. The house was purchased from Dr. Ruby Smith, of the Foreign Language Department, and R. W. Smith. By 1926, the house had been remodeled and opened as the College Club House. The first floor had a large living room, a kitchen, and bathroom. The living room was decorated with yellow and orange lamps, polished wood tables, and overstuffed divans and chairs. The second floor used the former bedrooms as meeting rooms. There was a porch which was decorated with red and green wicker furniture.  At the time there were 35 clubs on campus. All but two clubs used the house for meetings and events. The Mary Arden Club had their own house down the street from the club house. The Talons owned a house on West Oak and Welch.

Up until 1944 it was used as a temporary Union Building. The structure was called the Student Center. Once the first Union Building was opened in 1948-1949, the facility was used as the Men’s Building. By 1958-1959, the building was being called the Athletic Building. The structure was no longer on the aerial photograph of the campus in 1962. Parking lots replaced the houses on this block until the Speech and Drama Building (now the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building) and the Art Building were constructed in 1968 and 1973.

The interior of the College Club House is seen on this yearbook page from the 1930 Yucca.

Dr. Ruby Smith

Parking lots replaced the houses that formerly sat across from the campus. The College Club House was one of the buildings that was razed to make way for parking. This photograph is from circa 1964.

Aerial photo of the campus in 1930. This image shows the houses that sat across from the school. The College Club House is on the far left.

1919 image of the campus showing the houses across Ave A from the campus. The house that would become the College Club House is in the lower right corner.