National Register of Historic Places

New Century Club

Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Listed
June 15, 1983
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
83001336

About this property

The Delaware Children's Theatre (DCT) is a community theatre in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The theatre company occupies the historic New Century Club building. Originally named the Children's Repertory Theatre of Wilmington, the organization began in 1973 with their first production of Pinocchio. The organization relies on volunteers for all acting and nearly all support positions as a community theater. To cover operating expenses, DCT sells tickets and receives state support through the Delaware Division of the Arts. It operates as a 501(c)(3) Public Charity. In 2023 it claimed total revenue of $199,891 and total assets of $395,155. Tony Award winner John Gallagher, Jr. initially played Tom Sawyer as a child actor at the theatre before going on to Broadway. The Theatre occupies the historic New Century Club building. The organization constructed the building in 1893 and occupied it until 1975. The Delaware Dinner Theatre and Delaware Ballet Company then used the building until 1982 when DCT moved in. Minerva Parker Nichols of Philadelphia, an early female architect, designed the Colonial Revival building with Palladian windows and a gambrel roof. While serving partly as a clubhouse, it also held a theatre which was used for traveling shows as well as civic speakers, including future president Woodrow Wilson and birth control advocate Margaret Sanger. The structure is listed as on the National Register of Historic Places and recognized as being an active place for the women's rights movement. The New Century Club was a progressive upper class women's group dedicated to social improvement and charity as well as women's suffrage. Notable members of the Club included Emily P. Bissell, a Red Cross campaigner against tuberculosis who has a state hospital named after her, and Emalea Pusey Warner, who successfully campaigned for public vocational education and has a local elementary school named in her honor. Other New Century women's clubs formed nearby in Milford and Newark, Delaware, as well as in Kennett Square, West Chester, and Chester, Pennsylvania. National Register of Historic Places listings in Wilmington, Delaware

Location

1014 Delaware Ave.
Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
39.75166, -75.55584

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORYPERFORMING ARTS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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0.1 mi
Trinity Episcopal Church
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Cool Spring Park Historic District
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Cool Spring Park Historic District (Boundary Increase)
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0.2 mi
Pyle, Howard, Studios
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0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Brandywine — Birmingham Hill
1777Revolutionary War
5 mi
Battle of Birmingham Hill (Brandywine)
1777Revolutionary War
5 mi
Skirmish at Brandywine – Birmingham Hill
1777Revolutionary War
5.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was New Century Club listed on the National Register?

New Century Club was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1983.

What type of historic resource is New Century Club?

New Century Club is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for New Century Club?

The period of significance for New Century Club is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near New Century Club?

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