La Bruja Tango is a member event of the Berkeley City Club, which is a private club not associated with UC Berkeley. The club was originally named the Berkeley Women’s City Club. The club does not currently host any other regularly scheduled dances, but is available for private parties. It also has hotel rooms and a restaurant and bar. You do not need to be a club member to attend tango, to stay at the hotel, or to eat at the restaurant!
Berkeley City Club
2315 Durant Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94704
History: In 1927, twelve local women’s clubs merged together to form the Berkeley Women’s City Club. They conducted a huge membership drive, purchased property in central Berkeley, and commissioned a club house for themselves. California architect Julia Morgan designed the building, and she supervised its construction in 1929. Born in San Francisco, Morgan studied engineering at UC Berkeley and was the first woman to gain admission and to earn a certificate from the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She became the first licensed female architect in California. She designed nearly 100 buildings for women’s organizations throughout her career, and over 700 buildings of various types in California, including Hearst Castle. Her interpretation of Moorish and Gothic elements in the Berkeley Women’s City Club created a landmark of California design. Morgan did not marry or have children, and was a very private person. After retirement, she enjoyed traveling the world.
The Club was originally envisioned as an activity center for its members, a small subset of whom lived in the residential rooms. There were so many members that they divided themselves into small groups (“sections”) in order to get to know each other better. Men were allowed in the club to socialize, but not to live in the residences. During WWII the club became a center for war effort activities. In 1962, the Berkeley Women’s City Club was experiencing financial difficulties, so it decided to go co-ed, becoming the Berkeley City Club. The new male membership helped the club stay solvent, and quickly installed a bar. As time went on, the club began a gradual process of converting rooms from residences into hotel rooms. As of now, there are only three rooms that are being used as residences.
Today, the Club is open every day to members and non-members. Many non-members visit the club to stay in hotel rooms, dine at the restaurant, or hold social events. Members still organize member activities, most of which are now open to the public. Member activities aside from tango include book club, wine club, chess club, movie club, play reading, and trivia night. The historic swimming pool is open to members and hotel guests. The club is a popular venue for weddings small and large.
The building is registered as a California Historical Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For more information on the Berkeley City Club, visit www.berkeleycityclub.com.