THE JULIA MORGAN BUILDING RESTORATION PROJECT
Building a Safe Harbor
For over 100 years, our mission has remained constant: empower women and help local families in need. As we look toward the future, we need more space and a more functional environment to provide temporary housing and other essential services in the Harbor Area.
For over 100 years, our mission has remained constant: empower women and help local families in need. As we look toward the future, we need more space and a more functional environment to provide temporary housing and other essential services in the Harbor Area.
History and Restoration
The YWCA Harbor Area has a rich history of advocacy, empowering women, and service to our neighbors in the Harbor Area for over 100 years. This legacy is deeply tied to the historic Julia Morgan Building, one of only two remaining YWCA buildings designed by the pioneering architect Julia Morgan in California that still runs programming today.
The original complex, located at 437 W. 9th St in San Pedro, California, was purchased in 1918. It includes the iconic Julia Morgan House and a now-dilapidated dormitory once used as a domestic violence shelter, built in 1958. For decades, the YWCA Harbor Area has been a safe haven for local women and families in need, providing services ranging from domestic violence support to child care and job training. Now, we’re hoping to modernize our facilities to offer new temporary housing units for victims of domestic violence and expand our services to senior women who are alone.
This restoration project seeks to preserve a critical piece of California history — all while updating it to meet the growing needs of our Harbor Area community today!
Who was Julia Morgan?
The daughter of a Berkeley, California YWCA member, Julia Morgan was a trailblazing American architect, best known for designing over 700 buildings in California, including Hearst Castle. She was the first woman admitted to the architecture program at L’École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and the first woman to be licensed as an architect in California.
She designed 32 YWCA buildings in the state, and the YWCA Harbor Area is one of only two left with active programming. Morgan’s designs combined strength and elegance, and through her involvement with YWCA, she demonstrated a steadfast commitment to creating safe, dignified spaces for women.
The Julia Morgan Building Restoration Project honors Morgan’s legacy while preparing the building for the future.
