Within a few years, the first Settlement House was offering classes in English, U.S. citizenship, sewing, music, and religious classes, as well as medical services. On Oct. 29, the community dedicates a new Settlement House building at 17th Avenue South and South Main Street. By 1929, The Educational Center was providing a variety of services for about 1,400 people on a weekly basis. Due to lack of funds, the Medical Clinic was forced to close temporarily in 1935, and the Baby Clinic was discontinued. More than 700 adults also are enrolled in clubs and classes.
Japan attacks Pearl Harbor.
The United States declares war. In 1940 the area served by The Educational Center was still a stable residential neighborhood. A little more than 40 percent of the population were Asian, primarily Japanese. Within a year of the U.S. entry in the war, Japanese families had been uprooted from their homes and sent to distant relocation camps. By 1947, the neighborhood's Jewish population had dwindled, while the African American population had increased.