Florence Crittenton homes are residential care facilities for young girls who are pregnant, parenting or at-risk. Originally opened in 1883 as a refuge for young prostitutes, the homes soon became maternity centers for young, often poor, unmarried pregnant women, providing medical care, therapy, support services and educational opportunities.
The Florence Crittenton Home of Seattle opened in 1899 with two maternity wards and space for 50 women. A new 3-story building at the same location opened in 1926, with room for 150. Expansions in 1953 and 1965 added even more residential and administrative space. By the 1970s, however the number of residents at the Seattle home dropped dramatically, and after losing crucial funding, the home closed in 1973.
This photograph shows a group of women and girls, and one man, on the porch of the original Seattle Florence Crittenton Home building at 9236 Renton Avenue.
Caption information source: Florence Crittenton Home for unwed mothers opens in Dunlap on November 21, 1899, by David Wilma, HistoryLink.org essay at http://www.historylink.org/File/3128
ID Number: 2000.43.7
Date: Circa 1900
Physical Description: 1 photographic print on cardboard mount : b&w ; 6.25 x 8.25 in.
Additional Information: Digital copy of this item available thanks to funding from a 2016 Institute for Museum and Library Services grant. View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv11642
Credit: MOHAI, Maida Miller Collection on the Florence Crittenton Home, 2000.43.7
