Association Residence Nursing Home

Association Residence Nursing Home is the historic name associated with a New York City charitable institution and its surviving Victorian Gothic building on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The organization began in 1814 as the Society for the Relief of Indigent Respectable Females, later known as the Association for the Relief of Respectable, Aged and Indigent Females. Its original mission was to provide aid and residential support to older women who had once enjoyed financial security but had fallen into poverty. The institution was created in the aftermath of the early national period and initially focused particularly on widows of soldiers who had served in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. The association was organized and managed by women and relied on private philanthropy. Its early assistance included clothing, small heating stoves, and food. Ann Dominick served as its first director in 1814. With support from prominent New York benefactors including John Jacob Astor and Peter G. Stuyvesant, the organization built an asylum at 226 East 20th Street in 1837–1838 and added an infirmary in 1845. These facilities allowed the association to move beyond short-term relief and provide more sustained residential and medical care. The institution's best-known building was constructed on Amsterdam Avenue between West 103rd and West 104th Streets. The association acquired the site in 1881 for $77,500, and construction began that autumn under contractor John J. Tucker. Richard Morris Hunt, one of the leading American architects of the nineteenth century and the first American architect trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, designed the building in a Victorian Gothic style. Hunt had prepared earlier designs for the association in 1868 and revisited the project when construction finally proceeded. The building was completed in 1883 at a reported construction cost of $100,000. The Amsterdam Avenue residence was intended to provide a dignified and comfortable setting for its residents. Contemporary commentary emphasized the quality of its accommodation, reflecting the association's effort to distinguish charitable residential care from the harsh institutional conditions common in the period. A south-end addition was completed in 1907. The addition included seven Tiffany windows, which were later removed and entered the collection of the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. The association continued operating at the Amsterdam Avenue site into at least 1968. After the Second World War, rising life expectancy increased the length of residents' stays and contributed to financial strain. The building also became vulnerable to urban-renewal proposals. Robert Moses proposed its demolition as part of a wider Upper West Side clearance plan. In the early 1970s, the availability of Medicaid funding for nursing homes led the association to consider replacing the historic structure with a modern facility. Preservationists connected with Columbia University and the surrounding community organized to save the building. Their campaign continued despite a fire during the 1977 New York City blackout. By the late 1970s, the City of New York had acquired the property. The building was subsequently designated a New York City Landmark in 1983 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. During the 1980s it stood vacant while American Youth Hostels, with neighborhood and governmental support, developed a rehabilitation plan. The restored building reopened in January 1990 as a hostel operated by Hostelling International, formerly associated with American Youth Hostels. Its adaptive reuse transformed a nineteenth-century charitable residence into visitor accommodation while preserving a significant work by Richard Morris Hunt. With approximately 670 beds, it has been described as the largest hostel in North America. The site therefore represents several overlapping histories: women's philanthropy, residential care for impoverished older women, nineteenth-century New York architecture, urban-renewal conflict, historic preservation, and adaptive reuse.

The organization that became associated with the Association Residence Nursing Home was established in New York City on February 14, 1814, under the name Society for the Relief of Indigent Respectable Females. Its purpose was to assist older women who had fallen into poverty after previously living in comfortable circumstances. The institution was particularly connected with aid to widows of soldiers from the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Rather than relying on public financing, it raised private donations and distributed practical assistance such as food, clothing, and small stoves. Women administered the organization, and Ann Dominick was its first director. As the association developed, it expanded from direct relief into residential care. Financial assistance from John Jacob Astor and Peter G. Stuyvesant helped fund an asylum at 226 East 20th Street, constructed in 1837–1838. An infirmary was added in 1845, providing a medical component to the institution's work. The association was later known as the Association for the Relief of Respectable, Aged and Indigent Females. The institution's major architectural chapter began when it acquired a lot on Amsterdam Avenue between West 103rd and West 104th Streets in 1881. Richard Morris Hunt designed the building, drawing on plans he had first prepared in 1868 and revised when the project resumed. Construction began in the autumn of 1881 under contractor John J. Tucker. The Victorian Gothic building was completed in 1883. Its location was influenced in part by the construction of an elevated railway one block to the west, on Ninth Avenue. The project cost $77,500 for the land and approximately $100,000 for construction. The completed residence was designed to offer institutional care in a setting that conveyed comfort and respectability. A south-side addition followed in 1907 and contained seven Tiffany windows. Those windows were later removed and are now held by the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. The association remained at the Amsterdam Avenue property until at least 1968. The institution faced increasing financial pressure after World War II. Residents were living longer, making care more expensive and extending the period during which the association had to provide accommodation and support. The property also became caught up in New York's urban-renewal politics. Robert Moses proposed demolishing the building as part of a slum-clearance project affecting the Upper West Side. Later, the emergence of Medicaid funding for nursing homes in the early 1970s encouraged the association to consider replacing the old structure with a modern nursing facility. Preservationists, including people associated with nearby Columbia University, challenged the demolition plans. The effort developed into a broader neighborhood preservation campaign. A fire during the 1977 New York City blackout damaged the building but did not end the effort to save it. By the end of the 1970s, the City of New York had acquired the property. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and received New York City landmark designation in 1983. The building remained unused during much of the 1980s while American Youth Hostels worked with local residents and government bodies to establish a rehabilitation project. The restored property opened in January 1990 as a hostel run by Hostelling International. Its reuse preserved Hunt's building and gave it a new public function. With about 670 beds, it became one of the most substantial hostel facilities in North America. The site's present significance lies in this combination of charitable history, architectural heritage, preservation activism, and conversion from residential elder care to visitor lodging.

• 1990

  Hostel opens

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  After rehabilitation, the building reopened as a Hostelling International hostel.

• 1983

  New York City Landmark designation

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  The City of New York designated the property a landmark.

• 1975

  National Register listing

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• 1907

  South-end addition constructed

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  A south-end addition was built, incorporating seven Tiffany windows later transferred to the Morse Museum of American Art.

• 1883

  Victorian Gothic residence completed

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  The Amsterdam Avenue residence was completed and opened as the association's principal home.

• 1881

  Amsterdam Avenue construction begins

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  The association acquired its Upper West Side site and began construction of Richard Morris Hunt's new building.

• 1845

  Infirmary added

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  An infirmary was added to the East 20th Street institution.

• 1837

  First asylum built

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  With assistance from prominent donors, the association established an asylum at 226 East 20th Street.

• 1814

  Relief society established

  [1]Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org

  The Society for the Relief of Indigent Respectable Females was founded in New York City to support older women living in poverty.

Originally positioned as a charitable, dignified residential institution for older women facing poverty; today, the preserved building is positioned as a landmark adaptive-reuse property serving travelers through hostel accommodation.

• Social welfare · 1814

  Charitable relief services

  In its early decades, the association provided practical relief to impoverished older women, including food, clothing, and small heating stoves. These services reflected a private charitable model focused on preserving dignity for women who had experienced a reversal of fortune.

• Nursing home and residential care · 1837

  Residential elder care

  The association operated residential facilities for older women, first at East 20th Street and later at the Amsterdam Avenue residence. The institution also maintained an infirmary, combining accommodation with basic medical support.

• Hospitality · 1990

  Hostel accommodation

  Since its rehabilitation and reopening in 1990, the historic building has served as a hostel operated by Hostelling International. The adaptive-reuse facility provides budget-oriented lodging in a preserved nineteenth-century building and has approximately 670 beds.

• 1970Upper West Side preservation campaign

  New York City

  Preservationists linked to Columbia University and nearby residents organized to oppose demolition of the Amsterdam Avenue building and to protect it from replacement by a modern nursing facility.

  Outcome. The campaign helped prevent demolition, contributed to public and governmental support, and ultimately led to the property's preservation and landmark recognition.

  Source

• 1990

  Adaptive reuse as a hostelStrategy

  Background

  After remaining vacant during much of the 1980s, the historic property required a viable new use that could support rehabilitation while retaining its architectural character.

  Action taken

  American Youth Hostels arranged neighborhood and governmental support for rehabilitation, leading to the building's reopening under Hostelling International as a hostel.

  Aftermath

  The former charitable residence gained a continuing public function as a major hostel while preserving Richard Morris Hunt's building.

  Source

• 1970

  Consideration of a modern replacement nursing facilityStrategy

  Background

  Longer resident lifespans created financial pressure after World War II, while the arrival of Medicaid funding for nursing homes changed the economics of elder care.

  Action taken

  The association planned to replace the historic Amsterdam Avenue building with a modern nursing facility, a proposal that prompted organized preservation opposition.

  Aftermath

  The demolition plan was not carried out. The City of New York later acquired the property, and the building was preserved and adapted for hostel use.

  Source

1. 1Association Residence Nursing Homeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Guide to the Papers of the Association for the Relief of Respectable, Aged and Indigent Females in New York City, 1813–1883nyhistory.org
3. 3Association for the Relief of Respectable, Aged Indigent Femalesnyc.gov
4. 4Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Artmorsemuseum.org