Greenwich House
| Formation | 1902 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Location |
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| Coordinates | 40°43′56.43″N 74°0′11.11″W / 40.7323417°N 74.0030861°WCoordinates: 40°43′56.43″N 74°0′11.11″W / 40.7323417°N 74.0030861°W |
| Website | www |
Greenwich House is a West Village settlement house in New York City. Its mission is to help individuals from all walks of life lead more fulfilling lives. Founded in 1902, Greenwich House offers arts education, senior service and behavioral health programs.
Greenwich House's mission is to: "help individuals and families lead more fulfilling lives by offering social and health services, cultural and educational programs, and opportunities for civic involvement to New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds."
Greenwich House was founded on Thanksgiving Day in 1902 by city planner and social worker Mary K. Simkhovitch in a building at 26 Jones Street in Manhattan's West Village. Its original focus was to help New York's growing immigrant population adapt to life in their new home. Early supporters who joined her on opening day included social reformer Jacob Riis, Felix Adler and Carl Shurz. Greenwich Village was a mixed area at the time. Italian immigrants began crowding out the existing Irish population. Many homes along the maze of streets and alleys lacked running water. There was a high infant death rate and poor education. Early programs sought to relieve congestion and improve living conditions, which included founding the Greenwich Village Improvement Society, forerunner to the Greenwich Village Association and first neighborhood association of its kind in the United States, and publishing the Tenant's Rights Manual, the first ever of its kind in the nation.
Recognizing a need for recreational and skills training among Village residents, Greenwich House established Greenwich House Music School at 46 Barrow in 1905 followed by the Handicraft School, the precursor to Greenwich House Pottery, in 1909. By 1917 the organization's programs were becoming over crowded in its Jones Street buildings. Thanks to a gift from Mrs. Harry Payne Whitney, Greenwich House was able to hire architects Delano and Aldrich to design its current federalist building at 27 Barrow Street. The new building, complete with gym, running track, theater and rooftop playground provided Greenwich House the space to establish new programs like a nursery school and children's theater program.
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