The Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society of Mount Zion Temple began sewing classes on the West Side around 1893 for the Yiddish-speaking immigrant Jewish women who began to arrive in St. Paul in 1882. By 1895, the sewing classes had expanded to become an Industrial School for men and moved into a building located on Fairfield Avenue. By 1900, the school had taken the name The Neighborhood House and moved to 153 Robertson Street. Women from Mount Zion volunteered their time to operate the House under the direction of Rabbi Rypins, and the Vice President of the Benevolent Society, Sophie Wirth. By 1903, the House became so popular it decided it no longer could be open to just Jews or operated solely by Mount Zion. The decision to open its doors to all people in the neighborhood resulted in the House becoming non-sectarian. This also allowed the House to appeal for financial help from other charitable and government agencies. Margaret Pentland, who was not Jewish, became the House’s head resident in 1903. Pentland has been described as patronizing and condescending to those who used the House relying primarily on visits she made to their homes. Her reports, often critical of the immigrants’ values and culture, demonstrate a lack of understanding of their lives. However, she must receive credit for guiding the transition of Neighborhood House from an institution designed to serve the needs of one constituent group, Jewish immigrants, to one that was open to all those in the neighborhood who were in need.
Constance Currie had a far more successful career as Head Resident. Arriving in 1918 and staying until her death in 1957, she is remembered fondly by those she served and is described as having a thorough understanding of immigrants’ needs and experiences. Like Pentland, Currie was not Jewish and when she arrived at Neighborhood House admitted she knew nothing about Judaism and had never met anyone who was Jewish, but she was a quick study. According to Ann Hobie [Honors paper, “ Much Work Must Here be Done: The Neighborhood House and Eastern European Jews,” Macalester College, 1988, p. 62], “Miss Currie’s treatment of her clientele was characterized by her sense of sympathy for their hardship, her respect for their cultures, and the recognition that they were people of races and religions equal to her own”. Currie’s reports on activities at Neighborhood House illustrate the diverse people it served, besides Jews, Syrians, African-Americans, and later Mexicans.
In 1923, Neighborhood House moved to 229 East Indiana Ave. In 1960 it served as a relocation center for the people still living in the Flats who were being forced to move for the creation of Riverview Industrial Park.