United Helpers' First Move

 By Benny Fairchild

When the original United Helpers Children's Home opened on Congress Street in 1898, it didn't take long for it to become filled and for the organization to realize a larger home would be needed.

While no one would move into the new home on State Street, where the Edgar A. Newell II Memorial Golden Dome stands today, until 1902, a groundbreaking for the facility was held two years prior to that.

According to an article in the Ogdensburg Daily Journal "between four and five hundred people gathered on the lot at the corner of State and Gilbert Street," for the groundbreaking ceremony while the paper noted even more watched on from horse and buggies.  

Children's Home on State Street

The cost to build the structure was only $12,000, a staggeringly low sum by today's standards, when adjusted for inflation, using an online inflation calculator, that equals roughly $435,870. The Ogdensburg Daily Journal also noted a time capsule was included in the building's cornerstone.

"Deposited in the stone was a list of building subscribers, photographs of the Society's rented home on Congress Street and sketches of the new building," the article stated.

When the home opened on Jan. 1, 1902 more than 50 children moved into the home. The first baby wouldn't be admitted to the home until Nov. 24, 1904 when the building's nursery opened. The first baby was a boy brought to the home by his mother. 

Within its first 10 years of operation, the home reached capacity. In 1908 the Society Board of Managers proposed building an addition, which would open two years later.

Postcard of the home, circa 1915

According to The Centennial Chronicle, a book published to highlight United Helpers' 100th Anniversary, the addition contained 25 rooms and cost $23,473.54 to build.

"The dazzling new 25-room wing included a dining room, a special room for infants, and another specifically for the senior women in the Society's care. These quarters were located on the second floor, along with a large bathroom, a linen closet, and a parlor.

The third floor provided even more rooms for the 'old ladies', as well as two quarantine rooms for the children, a large hospital room and a small operating room for minor surgeries. Each floor featured a large sun porch for the residents." the chronicle states.

As the number of elderly residents increased the building, less than 20 years later, again found itself in need of an addition.

According to The Centennial Chronicle, the Board of Manager voted to construct another three-story addition to the building. This time the addition cost $75,571, a figure worth more than $1.3 million in today's dollars.

The influx of senior citizens in the years that followed World War II led to discussion of yet another addition, however a fire in 1968 made led to the decision to construct a new home for seniors just outside the city, paving the way for the sale of the parcel to the Ogdensburg City School District and the construction of the Golden Dome.