Our History
The Union of Two Historic Settlement Houses
Goddard Riverside was formed in 1959 when two historic settlement houses merged: Riverside Community House, founded in 1887, and Goddard Neighborhood Center, founded in 1892. The agency’s roots extend back to the beginning of the settlement house movement in the late 19th century. In 1884 the opening of the first settlement house, London’s Toynbee Hall, marked a watershed in the history of social services. It launched a new model of social work in which workers “settled” in poor, urban areas to understand the problems firsthand and to develop neighborhood-based services that would alleviate them.
When Goddard Riverside’s two parent agencies merged, they moved from their original locations to the heart of the West Side Urban Renewal Area, the largest urban renewal area in the country comprised of 20 square blocks running from West 87th Street to West 97th Street between Central Park West and Amsterdam Avenue. In addition to starting a number of the programs and services still in operation today, the center soon became deeply involved in the issues of affordable housing that were central to the urban renewal process.
Before merging, both houses had rich records of service to New York City. Goddard Neighborhood Center was previously located in the East 30s, in the area now occupied by NYU Medical Center. Riverside Community House served the lower part of the Upper West Side, in the Lincoln Center area. A complex history of predecessor organizations and later mergers began with the Wilson Industrial School for Girls (founded 1855) and included the Riverside Day Nursery (1887), the Friendly Aid Society (1892), Pioneer Youth of America (1926), Child Study Association of America (1923) and Wel-Met Incorporated (1943). For more detailed information on the history of Goddard Riverside, go to the Goddard Riverside Community Center Archives at Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
More recently, on February 1, 2011, St. Matthew’s and St. Timothy’s Neighborhood Center (SMSTNC) was merged into Goddard Riverside Community Center. All six programs that were operating under SMSTNC are continuing in the same location and providing West Siders with quality childcare, exciting after-school and summer programs, one-on-one academic help and mentoring for school-aged children, and older adult services including home-delivered meals.
A gift to Goddard Riverside supports the basic needs of the people of our community. Donate now.
