Abstract
The author develops a house biography of Christodora House, New York City, to investigate the relationships between the built form of a settlement house and new forms of residence within it. Settlement houses were founded from the 1880s as centres of neighbourhood welfare and social work, and housed resident workers in the poorest parts of cities. Founded in 1897, Christodora House occupied a purpose-built ‘skyscraper’ on Tompkins Square from 1928 to 1948. This building not only provided new and modern accommodation for settlement work, but also incorporated new forms of housing. The author considers the ways in which the building itself—both as ‘house’ and as ‘skyscraper’—was not only shaped by, but also recast, embodied practices of settlement, inhabitation, and domestic life. As a skyscraper built for settlement work, Christodora House represented a new, but ultimately unsuccessful, form of dwelling in the city.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
