{"nrhp_refnum":"85000661","name":"United Charities Building Complex","other_names":["United Charities Building","Kennedy Building","Dockbuilder's Tra"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"105 E. 22nd St,. 289 Park Ave. S. and 111-113 E. 22nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"New York","county":"Manhattan","state":"NY","lat":40.73943500200005,"lon":-73.98625016091938,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-03-28","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1991-07-17","areas_of_significance":["Education","Social History","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A nine-story Renaissance Revival office building at 105 East 22nd Street, at the northeast corner of Park Avenue South in Manhattan, built in the early 1890s and designed by R.H. Robertson, with a 1897 addition by J. B. Baker.","why_significant":"The building housed the Charity Organization Society, the National Consumers' League and other reform groups that shaped Progressive-era labor legislation and professional social work training. The nomination argues it was a central base for women reformers such as Josephine Shaw Lowell and Florence Kelley. It claims national significance in social history, community planning and education.","narrative":"Rising nine stories at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 22nd Street in Manhattan, this office building was designed by architect R.H. Robertson and funded by businessman John S. Kennedy to house charitable societies at reduced cost. Its limestone base, Philadelphia pressed brick upper floors, terra-cotta ornament, and Spanish tile roof reflect a classical turn in Robertson's work, and an 1897 addition by J. B. Baker raised it to its present height. Inside, the ground-floor assembly hall keeps its metal ceiling, stained glass clerestory, and carved woodwork. The building matters for the reform organizations it sheltered. The Charity Organization Society, led by Josephine Shaw Lowell, launched a training course that became the New York School of Philanthropy. The National Consumers' League, guided by Florence Kelley, worked from here on child labor, wage, and hours legislation, including the research behind the Muller v. Oregon case. Child labor and labor law committees also had offices here.","period_of_significance":"1899 to 1912","architect_builder":"Robert Henderson Robertson; James Baker","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revival; Renaissance design","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Still used as a headquarters office building for social service organizations, with a high degree of integrity; main lobby remodeled circa 1930s.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.886772-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/85000661_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000661/9a3fdbb4f5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85000661/9a3fdbb4f5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"ajay_suresh","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_Charities_Building_Complex_(51708609742).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">ajay_suresh</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:United_Charities_Building_Complex_(51708609742).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315978","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Charities_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7887567"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/manhattan/united-charities-building-complex-85000661/"}