The FRIENDLY INN SOCIAL SETTLEMENT was established in 1874 by the WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION (WCTU) as one of Cleveland's first SETTLEMENT HOUSES. Originally known as the Temperance Coffee House and Lunchroom, the institution was initially intended to offer slum residents a liquor-free gathering place. WCTU members established 3 Friendly Inns in Cleveland: at 634 St. Clair St., 34 River (W. 11th) St., and 71 Central Place. By 1876 the Central Place Friendly Inn became the main branch. By 1880 there were 5 inns throughout Cleveland. Early financial support from JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER and STEPHEN V. HARKNESS enabled the organization to expand, and in 1888 the Inn moved into a larger facility at Broadway and Ohio Street to accommodate growing demand for social and educational programming. The Friendly Inn recovered from a major financial crisis in 1894 through a citywide fundraising campaign supported by a special edition of the PLAIN DEALER.
Unlike many settlement houses of its era, the Friendly Inn did not operate under segregation policies. The Inn served recent immigrants with playgrounds and kindergartens, clubs for mothers, bathing facilities for men, and vocational training for boys. By 1907 a dispensary had been added. Each nationality had its own department, headed by someone who spoke the native language. The WOMAN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION, NON-PARTISAN, managed the Friendly Inn from the 1880s until 1926, when it became the WOMEN'S PHILANTHROPIC UNION. Endowment from the union has been a continual source or revenue, supplemented later by United Way funds and private donations.
In 1924 the Friendly Inn relocated to 3754 Woodland Ave. By this time more than a third of its clients were AFRICAN AMERICANS. Attendance grew from more than 140,000 (1925) to 222,858 (1935). Due to urban redevelopment, the Friendly Inn moved in 1954 to the Carver Park Estates community center, 2382 Unwin Rd, becoming the Central Friendly Inn. Through the years, the Inn added a resident summer camp (by 1925), day camps (1957), boys' clubs and athletic teams (by 1957) and a golden-age club (by 1962). In the mid-1960s, the Friendly Inn addressed urban problems by offering Head Start, vocational rehabilitation, and housekeeping classes. In 1995 the Inn continues to provide meeting places for community groups and to offer programs oriented toward health and family services for all ages.
Finding aid for the Friendly Inn Social Settlement Records, Series I, WRHS.
Finding aid for the Friendly Inn Social Settlement Records, Series II, WRHS.
Finding aid for the Friendly Inn Social Settlement Photographs, WRHS.
View more on Cleveland Historical