Henry Street Settlement opens doors of opportunity for Lower East Side residents and other New Yorkers through social service, arts, and health care programs.
Throughout Henry Street’s history, its workers have actively participated in the reform of public housing standards. This partnership continues today as many of the Settlement’s programs are housed in New York City Housing Authority properties and New York City owned buildings. This co-operation allows the Settlement to offer the much needed social services directly to the residents of the community in which they live.
The Community Consultation Center, a service that meets the mental health needs of area residents, is located at 40 Montgomery Street within the LaGuardia Houses. This large public housing complex was part of the post-World War II federal and city government effort to create affordable standardized living conditions in the Lower East Side. The 16-story buildings with basements have red brick facades with double hung window units.
Outside the entrance of 40 Montgomery Street was one of the first public art projects supported by New York City. In 1967, Lilli Ann Rosenberg, director of the Henry Street Settlement Art Department, collaborated with the New York City Housing Authority to design a welcoming and unique play sculpture garden. Funded by a small grant from United Neighborhood Houses and working with Pedro Silva and Murray Hochman, Ms. Rosenberg invited the children of the community to design and build the project, which included a sprinkler fountain, whimsical animal sculptures and seating areas. (Each sculpture began with the armature or skeleton. Next, cement was poured to form and fill out the piece. Finally, handmade, one-of-a-kind tiles were applied to the surface to create a fanciful design.) Several of the sculptures remain on-site today; others have been relocated to Martin Luther King, Jr., Park and the Abrons Arts Center garden.
