Soho Community House Records,1938-1951, AIS.2017.03, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Soho Community House Records,1938-1951, AIS.2017.03, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
This collection was processed by David R. Grinnell on February 13, 2017.
Records consist primarily of annual reports, which typically provide lists of the board of directors, information the the various programs of the organization, priorities for the given year, and statistics on participation in activities and programs. Additional folders contain a few promotional pamphlets concerning the organization and its programs, and information on policies and budget issues.
Billstone, Laurie, Soho Community House 1905-1940, Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh, 1942.
Brashear Association Records, 1891-1978, AIS.1979.17, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Civic Club of Allegheny County Records, 1896-1974, AIS.1970.02, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Kingsley Association Records, 1894-1980, AIS.1970.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
Mendelson, Abby. Voices from the Hill: A Celebrarion of the Hill House Association. Pittsburgh: Hill House Association, 2016.
Neighborhood Centers Association, Pittsburgh Records, 1890-1954, AIS.1964.28, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Founded in 1905 as a meeting place for women and girls' clubs and classes at the Phelan house at 2404 Fifth Avenue in the Soho neighborhood (now predominately known as the Bluff and South Oakland neighborhoods) of Pittsburgh, the Soho Community House served as a center to meet the social, health, and educational needs of the residents of this industrial working class neighborhood for more than half a century.
The Soho neighborhood was a long narrow swath of land situated along the northern shore of the Monongahela River, parallel to Second Avenue, from downtown Pittsburgh until it reaches the "Oakland Bend" where both Forbes and Fifth Avenues curve to a northeasterly direction. The northern border of the neighborhood is shared with the Hill District, along Fifth Avenue. In 1905, the neighborhood was dominated by heavy industry located on the flat areas along the river and included the Soho Works of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, the copper works of the C. G. Hussey Company, and National Tube Works of U. S. Steel.
The organization focused on the needs of residence of the surrounding community. They provided art and English classes, health care, child care, and recreational activities. The Soho Community House worked in conjunction with other neighborhood agencies, such as the Peoples Bath House (aka Soho Bath House), where residents were provided with shower, bathing, laundry, and pool facilities.
During the Depression Era, the population experienced some transition from being predominately populated by English-speaking populations to large classes of migrants and immigrants. The community saw a rise in the population of African-Americans, Irish, Lithuanians, Italians, Polish, Russians and many other nationalities. This lead to programs around inter-racial and inter-cultural understanding and cooperation, which dominated many of their programs during the Second World War. The main facility of the Soho Community House was located at 2358 Fifth Avenue, although they occupied several sites around the neighborhood for various program needs. The program needs and service sites of the organization were influenced by the construction of Terrace Village, a public housing development, in the Hill District just prior to the Second World War.
By the 1960s, following the construction of the Parkway East, the neighborhood became more distinctly connected to the neighboring Hill District, which lead to the 1964 consolidation of the Soho Community House with the Anna B. Heldman Center and the Hill City Municipality to form the Hill House Association.
Records were originally located in the Archives of Industrial Society Information Files. Many of the files on social service agencies found in the "Info Files" were obtained by the Archives of Industrial Society from the former School of Applied Social Work (now School of Social Work) library or the Graduate School of Public and InternationaI Affairs (GSPIA) library within the University of Pittsburgh.
No restrictions.
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