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The Council Lounge for Older People was a recreation center for the elderly.
The National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section developed the idea of a recreational center for older people in the mid-1940s, under the direction of Dorothy Hast Blumenthal. To generate funds for the project, NCJW raffled off a car in 1946. Having recently visited a similar facility in the Bronx, Bessie Anathan was interested in the concept and purchased 500 tickets at the raffle to support the undertaking. The Council Lounge for Older People opened on the second floor of 5824 Forbes Ave. in June 1949.
The Council Lounge for Older People had professional staff as well as volunteer assistance. It was initially open weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. for anyone over 60 to congregate for games, music, television, refreshments, and conversation. In the early 1960s, it became part of the NCJW’s new Anathan House at 1620 Murray Ave.
Bibliography
University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections
Collections
- National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS.1964.40] (catalog record).
Oral Histories
- Bessie Frank Anathan oral history (March 4, 1975), from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
- Dorothy Hast Blumenthal oral history (1973, 1974), from National Council of Jewish Women, Pittsburgh Section Records [AIS1664.40] (online).
Rauh Jewish Archives
- Anathan, Frank, and Lehman Family Papers and Photographs [MSS 1018] (catalog record).
Exhibit history
- Author: Eric Lidji
- Original: May 21, 2025
- Current: May 21, 2025