after her husband’s death in 1892, caroline severance changed the name of her home to "el nido", which is spanish for "the nest". situated in a tree-shaded garden, el nido was a gathering place for men and women devoted to social change. in 1906, ella giles ruddy wrote in "the mother of clubs": “for more than thirty years this hospitable home has been a rendezvous for literary people visiting los angeles, for leaders in progressive thought . . . in whatever direction it may tend, and for men and women interested also in local or municipal reforms and improvements. the title "mother of clubs" has been supplemented by that of the "ethical magnet of southern california ..."