The Saratoga Foothill Club was founded in 1907 and has provided over a century of service and friendship to the Saratoga community. We are the oldest women’s social club in Saratoga. The City of Saratoga honors our club each year at the State of the City celebration.
The Foothill Study Group, as it was originally known, was established by a group of twelve woman who were early settlers of Saratoga back in its agricultural days. Isolated on their orchards and farms, they longed for community and intellectual stimulation. So they decided to gather together regularly to present reports to each other on interesting topics, taking turns hosting in each other’s homes.
As the study club grew, members elected to build a permanent clubhouse for their meetings at a cost of $5,000. A parcel of land in downtown Saratoga was donated to the club on Park Place, where our clubhouse stands today. Julia Morgan, chief architect for Hearst Castle and the first female architect licensed in the state of California, designed our clubhouse, which was completed in 1915.
Today, club members are dedicated to acting as stewards of this iconic building and preserving it in historically accurate condition. The Foothill Clubhouse has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized by California Historic Resources, and designated as Landmark Structure #1 by the City of Saratoga.
Our nationally recognized clubhouse building is a valued and inviting meeting place for the community. It is available to the public as a rental for events such as corporate meetings, non-profits, weddings, galas, reunions, music concerts/recitals, and non-profit groups.
Community service and philanthropy have always been at the heart of the Saratoga Foothill Club. Past members established Saratoga’s first library, where the Book-Go-Round stands today, and supported the Red Cross during World Wars I and II. For many years, the club membership has partnered with West Valley Community Services, hosted the annual Memorial Day Ceremony in Saratoga’s Madronia Cemetery, and awarded scholarships to local high school graduating seniors. Over a century later, today’s Foothill Club members continue to fulfill the founding members objective:
The object of this club is to foster and encourage intellectual and civic activities within the club and in the community, and to promote a spirit of friendliness among its members.” — Saratoga Foothill Club, 1907
