Our story starts in the 1890s, a time when new laws were sending more and more women from immigrant families into the workforce. This created a huge need for safe, affordable childcare. Stepping up to the plate was a Vassar-educated philanthropist named Mrs. Josephine Jewell Dodge, who founded several day nurseries across the city.
A Haven on MacDougal Street
In 1890, the Jewell Day Nursery opened its doors at 20 MacDougal Street, in what is now a bustling corner of SoHo and Greenwich Village. It was a godsend for the neighborhood's working mothers, mostly Italian immigrants. For just five cents a day, children received meals, baths, clean clothes, and playtime in a cheerful environment.
The three-story brick house was a child’s paradise. It had playrooms filled with toys, a dining room with tiny tables and chairs, and a backyard with a large tree and a roof garden. It was a little piece of the country in the middle of the crowded city, staffed by a kind-hearted matron, Miss Miles, and a cook named Miss Bridget who would soon become Tommie Blackberry's biggest fan.
More than just a daycare, the nursery also became an unofficial animal rescue. It started when a child brought in a starving kitten, which was treated with kindness. Word spread, and soon the nursery was the neighborhood's go-to drop-off spot for stray and sickly cats, who were cared for before being passed to the ASPCA.
A Mascot is Born
One hot summer day, the nursery received a truly unusual delivery. A woman on nearby Varick Street had given a young boy 50 cents to deliver a box of kittens to the nursery. To keep them from overheating on the journey, she had packed them on ice. Yes, really—kittens on ice!
While most of the feline arrivals were temporary, one of these kittens completely charmed the nursery cook, Miss Bridget. Instead of being sent off, he was officially adopted as the school's mascot. The children, in their infinite wisdom, gave him the fantastic name Tommie Blackberry.
Tommie quickly became the king of 20 MacDougal Street. But one day, he vanished. Miss Bridget was, according to reports, "in dire distress." She searched the streets, asking neighbors and police officers if they had seen the beloved cat. For days, local children would appear at the nursery door, presenting stray cats and asking, "Is this Tommie?"
Finally, after four long days, a local policeman arrived with the prodigal cat in his arms. He had found Tommie Blackberry "consorting with cobwebs beneath a porch up the street," and triumphantly returned him to the overjoyed children and staff.
The Surprising Woman Behind It All
So, who was the generous woman who made this cat-loving nursery possible? This is where the story takes a fascinating turn. Josephine Jewell Dodge was a prominent socialite and the daughter of a Connecticut governor. She dedicated herself to philanthropy, especially the day nursery movement, which she saw as essential for supporting families and children.
But Mrs. Dodge is also remembered for leading a very different movement. From 1911 to 1917, she was the president of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. You read that right. The woman who funded a vital service for working women was one of the most powerful voices arguing that a woman's place was exclusively in the home, not in the voting booth.
She believed that politics would distract women from their "highest duty" of child-rearing and charitable work. It's a striking contradiction: a woman using her immense influence and organizational skills to argue that women shouldn't have political influence. History is full of surprising characters, and Mrs. Dodge is certainly one of them.
From Nursery to Luxury Condos
After Mrs. Dodge’s death in 1928, the Jewell Day Nursery eventually closed its doors and merged with another organization. The building at 20 MacDougal Street, which had been a home and then a haven for children and cats, lived on for decades as a residential building.
But if you go looking for it today, you won’t find the modest brick house. In 2007, the building and its neighbors were purchased and demolished. For years, the lot sat empty, a ghost of its former self, before being transformed into something Tommie Blackberry and Miss Bridget could never have imagined.
Today, the site is home to One Vandam, a striking 14-story luxury condominium tower of limestone and glass. Apartments in the building that replaced Tommie's humble home have sold for upwards of $15 million.
So next time you're in SoHo, take a stroll past the corner of Avenue of the Americas and Vandam Street. Look up at the sleek modern building and remember a time when the address belonged to playing children, a kind-hearted cook, and a very adventurous little cat named Tommie Blackberry.
