Woman's Christian Temperance Union Administration Building National Register of Historic Places Listing

People picture temperance activists smashing saloons. But the reality was far more calculating. In 1910, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union erected this brick administration building in Evanston to serve as a high-tech media hub. They needed space. Their massive publishing arm printed millions of temperance tracts, organizing manuals, and children's stories right on-site. Under leaders like Lillian M. N. Stevens and Anna Adams Gordon, the office functioned like a corporate headquarters. They ran national campaigns here. They didn't just target alcohol, though they fought for prison reform and women's suffrage too.

Architect Charles R. Ayars designed the building with clean, understated lines, adding a Tudor-style flair that fit Evanston's academic vibe. Then, they expanded. By 1922, Prohibition was the law of the land, and the WCTU's administrative needs had exploded. So, they added a rear wing to handle the paperwork. It was a massive operation. This brick structure represents the pragmatic, bureaucratic side of early American feminism. These women built a national empire. They seized real political power before they even had the legal right to vote, using typewriters, desks, and postage stamps as their weapons.