WCTU
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Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Building
1909. 317 N. 2nd St.
This frame, two-story meeting room and library has a number of decorative elements that raise it above the strictly utilitarian, notably the row of five narrow Ionic pilasters, with plinth and architrave, that frame the second-story windows. A fanlight in the pedimented gable is repeated in the transom of the main door, and a basket-handle arch above the first-floor window completes the ensemble. The result is an asymmetrical yet cohesive facade. This building demonstrates the aspirations and achievements of the WCTU, among the oldest voluntary, nonsectarian women's organizations in continuous existence (since 1874). The substantial brick Romanesque Revival WCTU building in Bellefonte, Centre County ( CE7), shows what the organization was able to achieve in an urban setting. The Apollo Area Historical Society purchased the Apollo building from the state WCTU in 1997.
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Location: Apollo, PennsylvaniaRegional Overviews:Styles:Materials:
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Citation
Lu Donnelly et al., "Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Building", [Apollo, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-AR13.
Print Source
Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, Lu Donnelly, H. David Brumble IV, and Franklin Toker. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010, 195-195.
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