Harlem Dowling was one of the first charitable institutions in the United States dedicated to children, and the very first to provide for “children of color”. Founded in 1836 as the Colored Orphan Asylum by Anna Shotwell and Mary Murray, the orphanage quickly outgrew its first home, a cottage on West 12th St. near Sixth Avenue. By the 1840s, larger quarters were constructed on Fifth Avenue between 43rd and 44th streets.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Colored Orphan Asylum was among the most vigorous charitable institutions in the nation. The Astors, the Vanderbilts, the Murrays, Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass were among its strongest advocates. The orphanage had begun providing scholarships, enabling its older youth to attend college or professional school. As the nation entered World War II, the orphanage (renamed the Riverdale Children’s Association) had evolved into a magnificent facility situated on the Hudson River north of Manhattan. The spirit of its founders was in full force. Eleanor Roosevelt served on the Endorsement Committee. Orson Welles, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lena Horne, Joe Louis, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson, Fiorello LaGuardia, and numerous others were giving generously of their time and talents. As President Truman entered his second term in office, 8,500 people from all across America were contributors.

In 1969, then Executive Director, Jane D. Edwards and Alice Hall Dowling, Board President of Spence Chapin Services for Children formed the Harlem Dowling Project, to serve Central Harlem’s young mothers who were unable to care for their newborn infants. In 1989, the Colored Orphan Asylum, then known as the West Side Center for Children merged to become Harlem Dowling - West Side Center for Children and Family Services.

Today, the 170-year-old tradition of uplifting humanity stands undiminished. Each year, we serve more than 2,500 inner-city children and their families. From After School programs to nurturing young mothers to independence and productivity, to supporting parents who adopt children with special needs, to an ever-expanding register of foster youth who go on to college, all of society reaps the benefits. And, as it was in the beginning, generous people from all walks of life continue to join with us to be “part of the solution.”