Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies

Church Missions House

(2012)
Location 281 Park Ave. So.
Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates 40°44′21″N 73°59′14″W / 40.73917°N 73.98722°W / 40.73917; -73.98722Coordinates: 40°44′21″N 73°59′14″W / 40.73917°N 73.98722°W / 40.73917; -73.98722
Area less than one acre
Built 1892
Architect Gibson,Robert Williams; Stent,Edward J. Neville
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Flemish Style
NRHP Reference # 82003370[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP June 03, 1982
Designated NYCL September 11, 1979

The Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) is a social services institution in New York City. Since its inception in 1922, FPWA has sought to promote the social and economic well-being of greater New York’s most vulnerable by strengthening human service organizations and advocating for just public policies. Its first permanent home, formerly known as the Church Missions House, is a historic landmark. In May 2015, FPWA moved its office and conference center from 281 Park Ave. South to 40 Broad Street. It occupies the 5th Floor of a mixed use building.

History

FPWA was originally named the Federation of Institutions Caring for Protestant Children. It was founded in response to a request in 1920 from the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Public Welfare, seeking representatives of religious social welfare organizations to form an advisory committee. In the 1930's the organization changed its name to the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, seeking to increase access to needed services and expand its programs and services. In 2015, the organization underwent a re-branding and officially goes by the acronym, FPWA.

The entrance to building

FPWA exists today with a membership of almost 200 social service agencies and churches throughout New York City and the surrounding area. Its policy efforts focus on issues of income security, child welfare, childcare and education, elderly welfare, workforce development, youth services, HIV and AIDS, and offers scholarship programs and emergency financial assistance through the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund.[2] In addition, in 2007 it was among over 530 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $30 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[3]

Landmarked building

Formerly the Church Missions House, the FPWA building at 281 Park Avenue South on the corner of East 22nd Street was designed for the Episcopal Church by architects Robert W. Gibson and Edward J. N. Stent and built between 1892 and 1894.[4] Gibson took his inspiration from the town halls of Haarlem and Medieval Amsterdam, and the result is "equal to buildings of the Flemish and Dutch Renaissance."[4]

The building was designated a New York City landmark in 1979,[5][6] and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It was restored in the early, 1990s by the firm of Kapell & Kastow,[4][6] and is part of a proposed extension to the Gramercy Park Historic District,[7] and sits across 22nd Street from the United Charities Building, constructed in 1893.

References

Notes

  1. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "New York Times: Neediest Cases Fund: A Brief History". The New York Times. November 13, 2002. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Retrieved on August 28, 2007
  3. ↑ Roberts, Sam (July 6, 2005). "New York Times: City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". The New York Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010. Retrieved on August 28, 2007
  4. 1 2 3 White, Norval & Willensky, Elliot (2000), AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.), New York: Three Rivers Press, ISBN 978-0-8129-3107-5, p.207
  5. ↑ "Church Missions House" at Gramercy Neighborhood Associates
  6. 1 2 New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S. (text); Postal, Matthew A. (text) (2009), Postal, Matthew A., ed., Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.), New York: John Wiley & Sons, ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1, p.87
  7. ↑ "Proposed Gramercy Park Historic District Extension" at Gramercy Neighborhood Associates

Bibliography

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FPWA Member Agencies
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