South Park Settlement facts for kids
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The South Park Settlement was a special community center in San Francisco, California. It opened on January 2, 1895. Its main goal was to help people in the neighborhood. This center was part of a bigger movement to improve city life.
The South Park neighborhood used to be a fancy area. But close by, many streets had crowded homes for working families. The Settlement wanted to bring people together. It aimed to help neighbors become friends and support each other. It also worked with schools, churches, and other groups. They all wanted to make social conditions better. The Settlement also offered education and helped with city projects. It even studied how people lived and worked.
Even though it wasn't a university center, it got help from nearby universities. The University of California, Berkeley and Stanford University inspired the Settlement. Teachers and students from these schools helped out. Some leaders of the Settlement were even university professors.
By 1929, the South Park Settlement closed down. The building at 2520 Folsom Street was later used by the YWCA.
Contents
How It Started (1894)
In 1894, a famous social worker named Jane Addams visited San Francisco. She was known for her work at Hull House in Chicago. Her visit made people interested in starting a similar center in San Francisco.
Soon after, a group called the San Francisco Settlement Association was formed. A generous woman named Phoebe Hearst offered money to help. This allowed them to choose a house for the Settlement. Later that year, they rented a house at 15 South Park Street.
The idea was to try out methods used in other big cities. They especially followed Jane Addams' successful work in Chicago. The Settlement officially started in January 1895.
Life at South Park Street (1895–1906)
Early Days
The South Park Settlement began its work in January 1895. It started small at 15 South Park Street. One of its first activities was a "kitchen garden" project. This was later moved into the main Settlement house.
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In October 1897, the Settlement moved to a bigger house. This was at 84 South Park Street. It was an old house that had become a shared living space. It had 13 rooms and was four stories tall. Six of these rooms were used for public activities. There was also space for six people to live there and help out.
In 1900, the San Francisco Boys' Club joined the Settlement. In March 1901, Phoebe Hearst bought and fixed up two houses. These were at 84-86 South Park Street. She also added a gym called the Shaw gymnasium.
The Neighborhood
South Park was an older part of the city. It was near the business and factory areas. The people living there were very different. Some were successful business people. Others were working people who didn't have much money. There were also people from the waterfront who were very poor. Most people were born in America. Many had Irish or German backgrounds.
The Building and What It Had
The Settlement House was one of Phoebe Hearst's many gifts. The main building had rooms for clubs. It also had areas for cooking and sewing classes. There were living spaces for ten people who worked there.
Behind the main building was a nice hall. It could hold about 400 people. This hall was used as a gym. It also hosted talks, concerts, and many club events.
Fun Activities and Help for the Community
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The workers at the Settlement tried hard to improve the neighborhood. They worked for a playground in the area. They also checked on school attendance. They played a big part in creating better laws for child labor. They also helped make better laws for women's work. They even gave talks about trade unions with the University of California, Berkeley.
The Settlement had many clubs. There were clubs for girls, boys, young men, and women. Boys could learn carpentry, printing, and ironwork. There were gym classes for boys, girls, and women. Other classes included sewing, cooking, singing, and reading. On Sunday afternoons, children watched slide shows with moral lessons. In the summer, they had camps. Women and girls went to camps. Boys went to a camp in the Fruit Belt to pick fruit.
About 350 people were part of the clubs. Most of them came from working families. The Settlement workers wanted to offer chances and ideas. They also encouraged club members to lead themselves. Many older clubs paid for themselves. Some even gave money to help the Settlement. The young people knew about the Settlement. They knew what was expected of them. They joined clubs with friends or came as groups. They just needed a place to meet and some guidance. The number of clubs was only limited by how much space the house had.
The Settlement workers also helped the city in bigger ways. They wrote for the local labor newspaper. They set up meetings for labor leaders and business owners. This helped them understand each other better. A special project was to get and enforce laws to protect children. For two years, the Settlement workers led efforts to get a good child labor law passed.
Moving to Treat Avenue (1906–1911)
From 1906 to 1911, the Settlement was located at 720 Treat Avenue.
The 1906 Earthquake and Fire
In 1906, a big earthquake and fire hit San Francisco. The South Park house was only slightly damaged by the earthquake. But then, the fire burned it down. The Settlement workers and many homeless neighbors camped out in China Basin.
Most of the workers quickly offered to help the Relief Committee. For several months, they helped organize and give out aid. The head worker, Miss Eaves, came back from New York City. She set up social and sewing centers. Dana Coolidge started a brick cleaning camp in Palo Alto. He gathered the younger boys from the boys' clubs there. These boys earned good money. Many of them helped support their families for the first time.
Even though people were spread out in camps, many South Park neighbors found the former workers. They asked for the Settlement to be reopened. One of the young men's clubs even set up their tents in front of the old house's ruins. They wanted to stay until it was rebuilt.
It became clear that the South Park area would likely become a business district. Many people had moved further away. So, it was decided to restart the Settlement work at 720 Treat Avenue. They would wait to see how the city rebuilt before finding a permanent spot. With some leftover money and a lot of effort, a large, simple club house was quickly built. The work started again with many of the old club members.
Even though they lost their old building, the work grew quickly. It became as big as it was in South Park. There were many chances to help people.
New Home on Folsom Street (1911–)
In 1911, the Settlement moved to 2520 Folsom Street.
The New Neighborhood
This new spot was in the heart of The Mission district. This area was full of working-class families. There were also factories nearby. The people living there varied a lot. Some were old, wealthy families. Others were people who moved often and lived in small, temporary homes. Most neighbors were born in America, but there were also many people from different countries.
Activities Offered
The Settlement continued to have clubs for girls, women, and boys. They taught manual skills and debating. There was a gym and cross-country walks for boys. Girls had German language, sewing, and embroidery classes, plus a gym. They also offered classes on civics and economics. There were plans for educational and historical movie talks.
For summer work, boys went to a camp in Sonoma County, California to pick berries. Mothers and girls enjoyed outings to Belmont, California.
The Settlement at 2520 Folsom Street offered many fun activities. These included small clubs, gym time, folk dancing, and singing. Clubs could use the gym for dances in the evenings. Each club had a social night once a month with snacks. Every Saturday evening, they had movies, music, and dancing.
People Who Helped
- Bernard Moses (January-June, 1895)
- Dorothea Moore (1898-1902)
- Lucile Eaves (1902-1907)
- Mary Roberts Coolidge (1905-1906)
