Union Settlement Association records, 1896-1995

During the late 1800s Manhattan's East Harlem experienced a dramatic increase in population and economic activity as transportation lines were extended into the area and new housing was constructed. Successive waves of Irish, German, Jewish and Italian immigrants moved into tenement buildings and formed a vital community, establishing small businesses, benevolent societies and fraternal organizations. But the dense concentration of population also gave rise to a host of urban problems: poor housing, inadequate health care, lack of educational opportunities, and crime.

A similar increase in the social problems attending urban growth led reformers and philanthropists in England to establish Toynbee Hall, the first settlement house, in 1884. Originally distinguished by the commitment of educated upper and middle-class volunteers to "settle" in working class communities in order to understand their problems first-hand, the settlement model was imported to the United States in 1886 when Neighborhood Guild was established on New York's lower east side. American settlement houses were in the vanguard of efforts to provide social services in their neighborhoods through such programs as kindergartens, day care, hot lunches, health clinics, visiting nurses, camps, playgrounds and arts education. In addition, the settlements joined Progressive-era reform movements for improved housing, public health, and sanitation.

In 1893 members of the Alumni Club of Union Theological Seminary decided to establish a settlement house, and chose the growing neighborhood of East Harlem as the site for their work. In May of 1895, Seminary alumni William McCord and William T. Holmes moved into a second floor tenement at 202 East 96th Street. Within a year the settlement moved to larger quarters at 237 East 104th Street, where it remains to this day. With McCord as its first headworker, Union Settlement established a kindergarten and penny provident bank, maintained a public playground, and hosted clubs for adults and children. McCord was succeeded in 1901 by Gaylord S. White, who oversaw an expansion of activities to include summer camps, housing and health investigations, a music school, and the hosting of a nursing center operated by Henry Street Settlement. With its growing programs the settlement was soon cramped for space; a new building was erected and opened in 1913.

During the 1920s and '30s East Harlem's demography began to change as African-Americans and Puerto Ricans moved into the neighborhood. A significant number of Italian families remained in the area as well. This predominantly working class community was hit hard by the depression, and Union Settlement responded by establishing such programs as aid for the unemployed, a cooperative grocery, and a nursery school. The settlement was led during this period by Helen Harris, who later served as Director of United Neighborhood Houses. Harris was succeeded in 1940 by Clyde Murray, who worked during his tenure for the integration of an increasingly diverse East Harlem community through leadership in such organizations as East Harlem Council for Community Planning (originally founded at Union Settlement in 1912 as South Harlem Neighborhood Association); by expanding settlement programs to include consumer education, senior citizen activities; and through the incorporation of the formerly independent Sunnyside Day Nursery into Union Settlement.

During the 1950s and '60s East Harlem was the site of extensive construction of low-income public housing projects. Under the leadership of William Kirk, Union Settlement developed new programs to serve the changing community, such as a credit union, College Readiness (later federally funded as Upward Bound), Head Start, and services based in public housing facilities such as the Union-Washington Community Center at George Washington Houses. Established programs were expanded as well, including senior services and music education, the latter run during this period by the dynamic Blake Hobbs. Once again the growth of settlement activities demanded additional space. As part of a complex including the Leggett Memorial Children's Center and Gaylord White House, a new Union Settlement building was completed in 1964. In addition to expanding programs and services, Union Settlement led efforts to involve East Harlem residents in planning of urban development in the area. The East Harlem Project, run jointly with James Weldon Johnson Community Centers Inc., fostered citizen participation in urban planning around such issues as housing and schools. The settlement also worked with community organizations like the Metro-North Association and Massive Economic Neighborhood Development to plan additional social services and housing development in East Harlem.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Union Settlement has continued to develop innovative programs for East Harlem residents, such as Settlement Home Care, providing home attendants for over 400 homebound elderly; adult education focusing on English as a Second Language; and co-sponsorship of Project Linkage, a senior housing with social programs; mental health counseling; and services for the HIV+ population through the East Harlem HIV+ Care Network. Executive Director Eugene Sklar, who first joined the settlement staff during the 1950s, now oversees the work of a thriving settlement beginning its second century in East Harlem.