Hull House

America’s first settlement house was founded by Jane Addams and Ellen Starr in 1889. The first invitation that went out to that near-westside immigrant community was written in Italian and signed by Signorine Jane Addams and Ellen Starr. In her writings, Jane Addams referred to the community as “The Hull House Neighborhood.” As the premier sociologist of her day, the immigrant community became the laboratory upon which she tested her theories and based her protests to the establishment.