The Hill House Association has been an important part of Pittsburgh’s Hill District for a very long time, even longer than it has been known as the Hill House. It has existed in many forms in its current location in the Hill District. Throughout the years, it has changed with the community, adapting to the needs of those who live there. Its iterations include the Irene Kauffman Settlement House, the Anna B. Heldman Center, and the Soho Community House (Hill House Association).
The Irene Kaufmann Settlement was meant to be a place for immigrants living in the Hill District in the 1800s. At this time in history, the Hill District had a large Jewish community and the settlement was meant for the children in the community to attend as a school. It offered many services, including English lessons and other classes including classes that were meant to help the members become United States citizens. There was also a playground on site for the children to enjoy. The building that the settlement was housed in also became a home for some of its staff members, (Pitz, The Hill District’s Irene Kaufmann Settlement). The original building stands today as the Elsie H. Hillman auditorium. It has been significantly remodeled throughout the years, but the original stairs and facing of the building have been restored. There was a point in time that the grand staircase leading up to the front door of the building had been removed, but they were eventually rebuilt in a recent remodeling of the building (Baltimore).
The next iteration of this community center in the Hill District was the Anna B. Heldman Center. This organization was named for Anna B. Heldman, a public health nurse who has been known as the Angel of the Hill District. She worked at the Irene Kaufmann Settlement for 38 years of her life and was fully committed to the health and safety of the people who lived in the area. The Irene Kaufmann Settlement was renamed the Anna B. Heldman Center in 1957, seventeen years after Heldman’s death. While this name only lasted for a few years, eventually changing in 1964, Heldman was such a well-respected woman that the community was open to changing the name to memorialize the good that she did for them (Pitz, Angel of the Hill District).
Starting in 1905, the Soho Community House opened. This organization was not located in the Hill District, but served as a similar organization to cater to the needs of the working class in the Soho neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It also was used to host meetings of different community organizations throughout the area. As time progressed and the neighborhood became more and more synonymous with the Hill District, it merged with the Anna B. Heldman Center and the Hill City Municipality in 1964 (Soho Community House Records).
At this point in time, there was a lot of debate over what to name the community center. The people who were on the boards from the three different organizations fought about it constantly, but eventually the name Hill House Association was settled upon by a new board that did not contain anyone from the original three boards.
The Hill House Association has been known for years as a community center in the Hill District that offers many different services to the community it serves including education, support services for older adults, and employment assistance. The Hill House Association has had quite a few notable achievements throughout the recent years. In 2005, the Hill House Association Economic Development Corporation completed its first project, opening the Family Dollar Store. In 2011, the Irene Kaufmann Settlement building was reopened as the Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium. Most recently, in 2013 the Economic Development Corporation opened the first Grocery Store in the Hill District, (Hill House Association) ending its longstanding status as a grocery desert. This was a huge deal to the community, and while it did see some backlash, for the most part, it was well received (Baltimore). It is clear to see that the Hill House Association has had a huge impact on the Hill District for a very long time in its many iterations. While each iteration possessed a different name and was not exactly the same as the one that existed prior, the same goals have always been present- to serve the community in the best way possible.
Unfortunately, the Hill House’s current rendition will close in June of 2019. It has been a slow process, but the Hill House Association has been acquiring debt without the means to pay it off. They tried to gain the funds to keep the doors open by selling some of their many properties, but unfortunately, it was not enough (CBS News). Signs of the Hill House Association potentially closing its doors were exacerbated by the main building of the Hill House flooding after a particularly cold day in January 2019. They were hoping to reopen the building after taking care of the water damage, but the building did not reopen its doors. It was then announced that the Shop n’ Save would be closing, which caused a great deal of outrage within the Hill District (Baltimore). There was a lot of hope that this would be the end of the Hill House Association’s struggles and that the grocery store would bring in would be enough to reopen its doors. However, in April of 2019, it was announced that the Hill House Association would not be reopening its doors and that by June 2019, it would officially be closing them for good. This is a great loss for the Hill District as the Hill House Association, while not always known by this name, has been a very important part of this area throughout its many iterations. There are plans for non-profits to pick up some of the Hill House Association’s services and more of this will be released as June 2019 approaches, but there will be a significant vacancy in the physical space where the Hill House Association has existed.
Works Cited
Baltimore, Terri. Secret Pittsburgh Class, 22 February 2019. Elsie H. Hillman Auditorium, Pittsburgh, PA. Guest Lecture.
“Hill House Association.” Hill House Association, www.hillhouse.org/.
Pitz, Marylynne. “Angel of the Hill District.” Old Pittsburgh Photos and Stories, newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2014/12/14/angel-of-the-hill-district/.
Pitz, Marylynne. “The Hill District's Irene Kaufmann Settlement.” Old Pittsburgh Photos and Stories, newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/thedigs/2015/01/21/the-hill-districts-irene-kaufmann-settlement/.
“Report: Hill House To Close In June.” CBS Pittsburgh, CBS Pittsburgh, 3 Apr. 2019, pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2019/04/03/hill-house-nonprofit-closing/.
Soho Community House Records 1936-1951. Soho Community House. University of Pittsburgh. https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3AUS-PPiU-ais201703/manuscript/manuscripts