Stewart Settlement House

Location: 1501 E. Massachusetts St., Gary, IN 46407 (Lake County, Indiana)

Installed 2014 Indiana Historical Bureau, Indiana Landmarks, and Christ United Methodist Church

ID#: 45.2014.2

Text

Side One

Stewart House was organized during depression of 1921 to provide social services for Gary’s black community. A vital neighborhood center for unemployed WWI veterans and southern blacks who migrated for jobs in steel mills, it helped thousands adjust to urban life. Services included lodging and meals, as well as legal, medical, and employment advice. Moved here, 1925.

Side Two

U.S. Steel, with an interest in regulating its workers, helped fund the settlement house, designed by architect W.W. Cooke. The Methodist Episcopal Church and Gary’s blacks also donated funds. Rev. Frank Delaney guided its development as superintendent, 1920-1939, and made it a source of pride for blacks. During Great Depression, it aided hundreds daily. Closed 1970s.

Annotated Text

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Keywords

African American, Business, Industry, & Labor, Buildings & Architecture