Digital Story and
Additional Creative Documentation Project
​Coming Soon

The Plymouth Settlement House

The Settlement House is located at 1626 W. Chestnut Street, neighboring The Plymouth Congregational Church at 1630 W. Chestnut Street to the west.  The church and settlement house were started by Reverend Everett G. Harris.  Construction of the building started in 1911 and ended in 1917.  The purpose of the settlement house was to be a place for the church's youth program, provide dormitory space for young black women moving to Louisville seeking employment, and to expand upon services the church could offer to the community.  The Plymouth Settlement House was one of the few settlement houses of its kind in the country, being a black-owned and directed welfare agency.  The settlement house quickly became the center for community outreach for the church.  Besides the dormitory, the settlement house offered classes in sewing and cooking.  The first floor had an auditorium/gymnasium for theater and sports activities.  There were also thriving Boys and Girls Scouts programs there.
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Historical summary:  Berry, Benjamin D., Jr. "The Plymouth Congregational Church of Louisville, Kentucky." Phylon, 3rd ser., 42 (1981): 224-32. Accessed April 24, 2018. http://www.jstor.org/stable/274919.

​The Sweet Evening Breeze LGBTQ Youth Shelter

The Sweet Evening Breeze is committed to serving Louisville’s LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness by going beyond the expectations of shelter in providing housing, hope, and healing. Kentucky historical figure James “Sweet Evening Breeze” Herndon (1892-1983), affectionately known as “Sweets,” was a popular Lexington personality whose hospitality and compassion for others inspired our purpose and mission to offer safe and secure emergency housing, food, and holistic support services for youth experiencing homelessness and in need of resources. We aim to provide Louisville’s LGBTQ+ young people with an inclusive and affirming environment, and we are committed to empowering our residents and connecting them to vital resources while facilitating community engagement, education, and care. We are a grassroots organization that relies on community support to actualize a reality in which no young person goes without shelter or support.

Anticipated opening: 2019 
The Sweet Evening Breeze will be located in the Plymouth Settlement House at 1626 W. Chestnut Street.