03/03/2026
Many people don’t know that ZLAC had an honorary member, Mr. Henry Palmer, who would join the rowers on outings…such as hikes in San Diego or Tally-Ho rides to Escondido. This is from the 1922 Directory and Bylaws booklet.
ZLAC Rowing Club
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ZLAC Rowing Club, Ltd., established in 1892, is located on Mission Bay in San Diego, CA. ZLAC's purp
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1111 Pacific Beach Drive
San Diego, CA
92109
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ZLAC Rowing Club: A Community Cornerstone
ZLAC is the oldest continuously-operating women’s rowing club in the world! Empowering women and promoting rowing have always been at the heart of our mission.
In 1892, when San Diego was still a sleepy little town, four adventuresome young women decided to start a rowing club. These four San Diego women, Zulette Lamb, Lena Polhamus, Agnes Polhamus, and Caroline Polhamus, who used the initials of their first names to form the acronym “ZLAC,” founded ZLAC Rowing Club at a time when a rowing club for women was a completely new idea! The women initially rowed in wooden barges from a boathouse at the foot of what is now Market Street on San Diego Bay. This boathouse was dedicated in 1895, and maintained for 37 years. In 1932, the club moved into a beautiful new clubhouse designed by noted architect Lilian Rice (ZLAC president 1915-1916) and landscaped by Kate Sessions (of Balboa Park fame), at its current location on Mission Bay. ZLAC is still going strong, with 450 members who range in age from teens to nineties. Over the years ZLAC athletic programs have produced U.S. National Team members, top college rowers, Olympians, and thousands of recreational rowers. Members also enjoy numerous social activities.
