Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club

The Santa Monica Bay Woman's Club has been a women's club since 1905, and its clubhouse at 1210 4th St is a landmark building in the classical revival style. It sits four blocks from Ocean Avenue, just south of Wilshire, so the pier, the Promenade and the downtown hotels are all a short walk.

The main ballroom is the draw. The original maple floors run through it, and the club says it holds 400 people in concert seating. The club also calls it the only two-story ballroom in Santa Monica or on the Westside. Twin staircases lead up to a wide balcony that looks down on the floor and the stage, and the dining room beside it seats 60, or 180 for cocktails, under chandeliers, with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sprung hardwood floor for dancing. A lounge to the left of the main doors works as a green room or a VIP space, and the front doors still carry their antique stained-glass transoms.

This is a rental hall rather than a club with its own promoter, so the nights listed here are one-off bookings: masquerades, fundraisers, live performances, weddings and the odd film shoot. Doors, age limits and bag rules are set by whoever rents the room, so check the event listing before you go. The club office answers the phone on weekday mornings, 9:30 to 11:30 AM.

Parking is easier than most of Santa Monica. The club points guests to the private lot next door and a public parking structure close by. If you'd rather skip the drive, the Metro E Line ends in downtown Santa Monica and Big Blue Bus lines run through it.