124 Years of History > Our Building

When the Settlement was first founded in 1886, it took up residence in temporary quarters, first on Forsythe Street, and later on Delancey Street. As the organization grew, and larger, more permanent space was needed, the young architects Phelps Stokes and John Mead Howells were commissioned to design a suitable headquarters. The two architects would later gain renown for their work throughout New York City.

What they created for the Settlement was a classic five-story brick and limestone structure in Georgian Revival style, complete with Tuscan columns and graced with an engraved stone tablet bearing the Settlement's name. The dedication took place in 1898; Theodore Roosevelt, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Several years later, a double-height sixth floor with arched windows was added to house the gymnasium, including a spectators' balcony. University Settlement's headquarters became a landmark on the Lower East Side, and on its hundredth birthday was placed on both the National and State Registers of Historic Places.