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This timeline provides an overview for the first 100 years of the Henry Street Settlement's history. (For a list of research resources on Lillian Wald and Henry Street Settlement, see our Research Resources page.)

 1893

Lillian Wald "settles in" on the Lower East Side to care for the poor. Wald's philosophy establishes Henry Street as a national leader in service to children, families, and the poor.

 

 1895

Wald moves to 265 Henry Street during the summer. The building is a gift from Jacob Schiff, who purchased the property earlier that spring and arranged for its repair and furnishing.

 

 1902

The Settlement adds buildings at 299, 301, and 303 Henry Street, which includes a gymnasium.

The Settlement opens one of New York City's earliest playgrounds in Henry Street's backyard to provide a safe environment for children forced to play in crowded and unsafe city streets.

The salary for the first public school nurse in New York City is paid by Henry Street. Her success prompts the Board of Education to appoint nurses in schools.

 

 1908-9

The Settlement opens its first summer camps: Camp Henry for boys and Echo Hill Farm for girls.

 

 1915

The Lewisohn sisters build The Neighborhood Playhouse, one of the first "Little Theaters" in New York City. Between 1915 and 1927, the theater presents plays by Shaw, Joyce, and Dunsany. Now called the Harry De Jur Playhouse, the theater continues to showcase many Settlement arts programs.

 

 1927

The Henry Street Music School opens. Through the years it has hosted and produced hundreds of concerts and operas and trained thousands of musicians.

 

 1930

Lillian Wald retires and becomes Director Emeritus of Henry Street Settlement.

 

 1933

Helen Hall, former Director of the University Settlement in Philadelphia, succeeds Lillian Wald as Director.

 

 1937

To combat the loan shark racket, Settlement members start the Credit Union. To date, neighborhood residents have received over $3 million in loans.

 

 1940

The Homeplanning Workshop is founded to help residents of the newly built Vladeck Housing projects and other community members repair furniture and appliances, make clothes, and mend shoes. One of the earliest programs in a public housing facility in New York City, the Workshop continues to serve the neighborhood today.

 

 1944

The Visiting Nurse Service of the Settlement separates from Henry Street to become the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.

 

 1946

Now called the Community Consultation Center (CCC), Henry Street's Mental Hygiene Clinic, one of the first of its kind in the country, is founded to bring psychiatric help to the community. The CCC currently serves more than 500 people each year.

   

1893-1949
1950-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-Present

Henry Street Settlement records
Social Welfare History Archives

 

 

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