Heritage Toronto

Children's hour with Elizabeth Neufeld, the first Central Neighbourhood House, Gerrard Street, Toronto, winter 1913. Image courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives.

Italian mothers at a program, 82-84 Gerrard Street West, Toronto, 1916. Image: City of Toronto Archives

Children from The Ward, Toronto, 1911. Image: City of Toronto Archives

Boys parading at Elizabeth Street Playground, Gerrard and Elizabeth Streets, 1922. Image: Toronto Public Library

Community Work in the Ward

The Central Neighbourhood House

Now a coffee shop, 100 years ago 84 Gerrard Street West was home to Central Neighbourhood House, Toronto’s second settlement house. The house was located in the Ward – a poor immigrant neighbourhood often referred to as a slum. In this area, newcomers from around the world packed into the space bordered by Queen Sreet up to College, and Yonge Street over to University Avenue. In the 20th century, social reformers established settlement houses to improve living conditions and help newcomers culturally adjust. Middle-class volunteers, often university students, would live in houses in the neighbourhood to better understand how to help the residents. The Central Neighbourhood House (CNH) opened in September 1911 as a space for residents of the Ward from different backgrounds to gather and gain a sense of citizenship. The first head worker of the CNH was Elizabeth Neufeld.

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Elizabeth Neufeld

Born in Baltimore to Russian-Jewish parents, Elizabeth Neufeld studied in Russia, Poland, and at the New York School of Philanthropy. Fluent in Yiddish, Russian, German, Polish, and English, she was the perfect candidate to direct the CNH, situated in a neighbourhood with a large Jewish immigrant population. Neufeld and the CNH provided English classes, concerts, sports teams, and other services. They advocated for improvements in street lighting, mail delivery, and garbage collection. Neufeld was also involved in other organizations, such as the Neighbourhood Workers Association. She supported universal suffrage, minimum wage, and rent reduction in the Ward. Neufeld left the CNH to get married in 1915, but in her four years she worked hard to improve the lives of some of Toronto’s poorest residents.

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Elizabeth Street Playground

One of the causes important to Elizabeth Neufeld was improved recreation spaces. Playgrounds gave neighbourhood children an alternative to the streets. In the early 20th century, this was believed to help prevent juvenile delinquency. The Elizabeth Street Playground, at Gerrard and Elizabeth Streets, was a place for the children to gather. In 1914, Neufeld set out to petition the City Council for $20,000 to improve the space. She marched a group of 200 children down through the Ward and up the steps of Old City Hall. Although council was adjourning, Neufeld convinced the mayor to hear the children out. They stated their case for funds to build facilities for the playground. In April, it was announced that the playground would receive $10,000. The following year, a new building for the playground was announced. Neufeld’s work in organizing the campaign had a positive impact on the fabric of the neighbourhood.

*Sources:

“Elizabeth Neufeld – Out of the Classroom and into the Streets,” in Toronto’s Central Neighbourhood House: 100 Years in the Making.

John Lorinc et al., The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2015.

Patricia J. O’Connor, The story of Central Neighbourhood House 1911-1986. Toronto: Toronto Association of Neighbourhood Services, 1986.

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Community Work in the Ward

The Central Neighbourhood House

Elizabeth Neufeld

Elizabeth Street Playground

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