I just finished reading about the history of Barbizon Hotel for Women in New York. It was fascinating. The hotel was opened in 1927, and was THE place for single women to stay while trying to get a career started in fashion, acting, publishing or anything else. Strict rules had to be followed, including a dress code and specific hours women had to be home.
The women's magazine Mademoiselle was founded in 1935. Editor Betsy Talbot Blackwell had a junior editor program, very prestigious, where young women would come from all over the country as assistant editors. They would stay at the Barbizon.
Another group of young women who resided at the Barbizon were aspiring models. Both the Powers Modeling Agency and the Ford Modeling Agency were started during this time, and young models all stayed at the Barbizon.
The Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School was very popular with young women, and those attending the school from out of New York, stayed at the Barbizon.
Then of course there were dozens and dozens of aspiring actors, writers and poets. Any woman who came to New York to find fame and fortune, or a husband, stayed at the Barbizon. It is no longer in operation. Changing with the times, it finally started allowing men to stay, then ultimately it was bought by a developer and is now a pricy condo complex.
Here is a list of some of the very famous women who resided at the Barbizon Hotel: Joan Crawford, Cloris Leachman, Joan Didion, Ali MacGraw, Grace Kelly, Tippy Hedron, Lauren Bacall, Candice Bergen, Betty Buckley, Rita Hayworth, Cybill Shepherd, Jessica Savage, Sylvia Plath, Nancy Regan.
Now that's some list of influential women!!!
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