Goodrich Social Settlement

Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center
Named afterRev. Dr. William Henry Goodrich
Established1897
FounderFlora Stone Mather
Founded atBond Street (E. 6th) and St. Clair Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, US
TypeNonprofit
Purposesocial reform
Main organ
Goodrich House Record
Formerly called
Goodrich Social Settlement

Goodrich Social Settlement (since the 1960s, Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center) was the second settlement house in Cleveland, Ohio, after Hiram House. It organized on December 9, 1896, incorporated May 15, 1897, and opened May 20, 1897 at Bond St. (E. 6th) and St. Clair Ave.[1] It was established by Flora Stone Mather as an outgrowth of a boys' club and women's guild conducted by the First Presbyterian Church. Its aims were “to provide a center for such activities as are commonly associated with Christian social settlement work". It was maintained by an endowment. The Goodrich House Farm, in Euclid Point, Ohio, was part of the settlement.[2]

The Goodrich Social Settlement was unique among American settlements in that it was the first of the settlements to possess at the time of its organization a building of considerable size, constructed expressly for its use: Goodrich House.[3] The possession of such a building presented difficulties and imposed responsibilities which were appreciated, at least in part, by those who planned for such a thing and made it possible. The articles of incorporation stated that, "The purpose for which this corporation is formed is to provide a center for such activities as are commonly associated with Christian social settlement work." The incorporation was made to facilitate the work to be carried on in and through Goodrich House, a building erected at a cost of more than US$80,000 by Flora S. Mather.[4]

  1. ^ "GOODRICH-GANNETT NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  2. ^ Woods, Robert Archey; Kennedy, Albert Joseph (1911). Handbook of Settlements (Public domain ed.). Charities Publication Committee. pp. 255–56. Retrieved 23 April 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Gavit, John Palmer (1897). Bibliography of College, Social and University Settlements (Public domain ed.). Co-operative Press. p. 44. Retrieved 23 April 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ Gavit, John Palmer; Taylor, Graham, eds. (October 1897). "GOODRICH SOCIAL SETTLEMENT. BY REV. STARR CADWALLADER, HEAD RESIDENT". The Commons: A Monthly Record Devoted to Aspects of Life and Labor from the Social Settlement Point of View. 2 (18). Chicago Commons: 1–3. Retrieved 23 April 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.