The Irene Kaufmann Settlement House

The Irene Kaufmann Settlement House was the center of Jewish social life in the Hill District. Originally founded as a small schoolhouse, it was expanded into a six-story settlement house in 1911, thanks to a gift from the family behind Kaufmann's Department Store. The IKS, as it was known, offered health care, language and job training workshops, cultural programming,and athletic events. As the demographics of the neighborhood changed, the building was given to the African American community and the institution relocated to Squirrel Hill.