Baden Street Settlement records

Organized in 1901 as a non-sectarian, neighborhood center, the Baden Street Settlement traces its origins to the work of the women of the B'rith Kodesh Temple on Gibbs Street in Rochester, New York. The group felt a social responsibility to teach immigrant women the basic tasks and responsibilities of life in the United States. Their emphasis was on the practical, necessities of homemaking -- gardening, sewing, elementary education and child-rearing -- and this practical remained central to the work of the settlement throughout the early decades of the 20th Century. In 1901, the women of B'rith Kodesh Temple, led by Therese R. Katz and Fannie A. Carson, decided to expand their work into the wider community. They formed "The Social Settlement of Rochester," which became Baden Street Settlement in 1922.

From its beginnings, the guiding philosophy of the settlement was "beneficent pragmatism," the adaptation of its scope of service to fit the changing needs of the community. Its program grew from homemaking classes, Sunshine Clubs (to encourage social life), and intellectual stimulation (Shakespeare clubs, current topics courses, and German clubs) to include social and athletic clubs for boys and girls, an informal kindergarten, public bath facilities, and operation of a "milk station" to supply clean milk to neighborhood infants and children, and a Day Care Center. By the early 1950s, the settlement had a Health Center, and programs in casework and group work. Along the way, the settlement sponsored and/or participated in unemployment relief, community social action and reform through such agencies as the Community Chest and urban renewal associations, and the promotion of literacy through adult education.

Throughout its existence, the Baden Street Settlement responded to the changing character of its neighborhood and the larger aspects of social welfare in America. Thus, the Settlement studied the effect of the gradual influx of African Americans into the area and adjusted its program accordingly. Correspondingly, with the growth of public welfare programs, Baden Street recognized the necessity of cooperating with the public agencies and shifting certain practice areas to the public sector. In the gradual evolution of programs and policies, the settlement workers and their supporters emphasized the importance of the family unit in healthful living and followed the classic goals of settlement houses in America: (l) the enrichment of neighborhoods, (2) the strengthening of entire family units, (3) the promotion of legislative and social action to solve social problems, (4) the development of neighborhood leadership and the strengthening of neighborhood ties with the wider community, (5) overcoming prejudice, and (6) the promotion of democratic attitudes.

In the post-World War II era, the settlement attacked the problems of bad housing, inadequate education, unemployment, discrimination, cultural deprivation, and hopelessness, with a program of social action including such enterprises as a speech clinic, school readiness program, music instruction, tutoring service, careers club, employment service, instruction and aid for single mothers, and a volunteer case-aide program in casework.

The Presidents of the Board of Directors and the Executive Directors listed below were the key figures in the leadership of the settlement:

For information on these and other members of the Board of Directors, the researcher should consult the minutes of the Board, the Executive Committee, and other committees of the settlement.