Sneak Peek: Eleanor Foundation Records

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Founder Ina Law Robertson opened the Eleanor Hotel in 1898 to provide safe, affordable housing for women coming to Chicago to work. What was later known as the Eleanor Foundation grew to include locations throughout Chicago that provided housing, social spaces, and activities for women for 104 years. The records of the Eleanor Foundation were donated to the Women and Leadership Archives in 2015. This sampling of photographs, documents, and objects from the Eleanor Foundation collection shows a small piece of this rich history. Share your favorite image and your questions in the comments below!

Check out our preliminary finding aid to learn more about the Eleanor Foundation collection.

  • Eleanor Club Residents, circa early 1900s
  • Framed portrait of Ina Law Robertson
  • Eleanor Club One, 1442 E 59th Street
  • Eleanor Club bedroom, 1917
  • Red Cross Auxillary at Eleanor Club, 1918
  • Eleanor Club Residents in a sitting room
  • Two women in front of Eleanor Club One, circa 1920s
  • Eleanor Club residents holding tennis racquets, circa 1930s
  • Woman in front of Eleanor Club One, circa 1920s
  • Hand drawn map of Eleanor Camp
  • Eleanor Club residents playing table tennis, circa 1960s
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About Women and Leadership Archives

Established in 1994, the Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) collects, preserves, and makes available permanently valuable records of women and women’s organizations, which document women’s lives, roles, and contributions. The WLA grew out of the need to care for the records of Mundelein College and expanded to collect papers of women leaders and women’s organizations. Collection strengths include the subject areas of activism and women’s issues; authors; education; environmental issues; public service; social justice; women religious; and the fine, performance, and visual arts. The WLA is part of the Gannon Center and Loyola University Libraries and serves a wide variety of users, ranging from students and scholars to the general public. The WLA makes records available at the Archives in Loyola’s Piper Hall, offers remote reference services, presents programs, and provides online resources. Staff include a Director, Assistant Archivist, and graduate assistants from Loyola’s Public History Program.

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