Behind-the-Scenes @ Henry Street Settlement: 130 Years of Reforming NYC

At the turn of the 20th century, Lower East Side residents had few protections or safety nets. Seeking to serve the most vulnerable, Henry Street Settlement was established in 1893 to provide affordable health care and a wide range of social services to the Lower East Side’s majority immigrant and migrant community. It's time to uncover a place where New Yorkers have turned for help for 130 years.

Join New York Adventure Club as we trace the history and story of Henry Street Settlement, and how a visiting nurse service in the 19th century grew to become one of New York City's premier social reform organizations by the 21st century.

Led by Katie Vogel, the public historian of the Henry Street Settlement, our unique experience will include:

• An introduction to the Henry Street Settlement, which continues to deliver social service, health care, and educational programs to more than 50,000 New Yorkers each year
• A deep-dive into the world of Henry Street Settlement Founder Lillian Wald and her numerous accomplishments, including developing New York City's school lunch program, creating Seward Park (the first municipally-built playground in the United States), and helping to found the NAACP
• A visit to Henry Street Settlement sites like the 1915 Henry Street Playhouse (now the Abrons Arts Center)
• An exclusive trip inside Lillian Wald’s former home, which doubled as the Henry Street Settlement headquarters — this series of old row houses built around 1830 include her former bedroom, visiting nurses bedrooms, backyard (New York’s first playground), and dining room where some of the most important meetings of the progressive movement and early civil rights movement took place

See you there!

*Please bring a water bottle and comfortable pair of shoes as we’ll be doing a lot of walking!

**There is no elevator at the Henry Street Settlement building

Testimonials

" I liked learning about Lillian Wald and the movement she was a part of. I enjoyed seeing the settlement house interior and courtyard. Our tour guide was very sweet and the weather was nice." -Jessica

" The tour guide was very good." -Shalom

"Katie is fantastic!" -Jill

"Guide was especially great. Informative and clear spoken. Also good variety of things we did. Loved it." -Lorraine

"The knowledge of the guide. Also interesting people taking the tour." -Patricia

"Thoroughly enjoyed the tour and the tour guide! Katie, our guide, was excellent — she started us off in the exhibit and quickly reviewed the history of Henry St before taking us upstairs and behind the scenes. Her delivery was superb and knowledge of the place, the timeline, the historical events, the people/founders was excellent. She provided photos (off site) at every location we visited. We covered a lot of spaces and thoroughly enjoyed the senior center! Overall, the vibe of Henry St was so joyful and helpful to the community. Again, Katie was so professional and friendly. She is a real asset to the Henry St Settlement and we can’t think of a better person to publicly represent such a thriving & meaningful organization." -Sandra

Disclaimer

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Photo Credit: Main - Henry Street Settlement

Categories: In-Person, Neighborhood Tours

Host or Publisher New York Adventure Club