Colored Orphan Asylum

1837 - 1946

Founded in 1836 by white female reformers, the Colored Orphan Asylum (COA) addressed the housing, social, and educational needs of black children and youth in the city who were orphaned or required extended care. Originally named the Association for the Benefit of Colored Orphans, the COA at the time of its founding was the only institution of its type in the country established to support black children in such circumstances. To meet the increasing demands of its services, the asylum moved north in 1843 to a larger building at 43rd and Fifth Avenue. In 1863, racial antagonism at the center of the Draft Riots of that summer, incited a mob of white men and women to loot and burn the Fifth Avenue location to the ground. Unable to rebuild on property on Fifth Avenue, the COA moved within a few years to a new building in Harlem on Amsterdam Avenue. The asylum remained there until 1907 when it moved further north to Riverdale. In 1944, reflecting a change in its mission, COA was renamed the Riverdale Children's Association. In 1946, the Riverdale Children's Association was renamed the Westside Center for Family Services, which merged in 1989 with Harlem-Dowling Children's Services.

Colored Orphan Asylum
Colored Orphan Asylum
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Details

Category
Orphanage
Audience
Children, Teenagers
Founder(s)
Mary Murray, Anna Shotwell
Tags
orphans, Harlem, AfricanAmericans, DraftRiots

Connections

Location

  • W 261st St & Palisade Ave, Bronx, NY 10471, USA
    June 26, 1907 - 1946
  • Amsterdam Ave & W 143rd St, New York, NY 10031, USA
    1868 - 1907
  • Broadway & West 150th Street, New York, NY 10031, USA
    1863 - 1868
  • Fifth Avenue and W 43rd St, New York, NY 10036, USA
    May 01, 1843 - 1863
  • 5th Ave & E 12th St, New York, NY 10011, USA
    1837 - 1843

Archival Collections

References

  1. Jackson, Kenneth T., ed. The Encyclopedia of New York City, 2010, 284.
  2. Seraile, William. Angels of Mercy: White Women and the History of New York's Colored Orphan Asylum, 2011.