Originally called the Indigent Widows and Single Women’s Society, Ralston Center was founded in 1817 by Sarah Clarkson Ralston to provide a refuge for needy women. In 1973, the name was changed to Ralston House in honor of Mrs. Ralston, the daughter of Philadelphia Mayor Matthew Clarkson (1792-1796). Her practice of aiding those less fortunate won her much admiration and respect among her peers.

Initially located on Market Street west of Broad Street, the Widows Society opened its doors to house twenty women on June 4, 1817. Residents were provided a comfortable room, meals and support at the Society. Many of the original residents brought some of their own furnishings with them and contributed from their dwindling resources to the expenses of the facility. The Widows Society was managed, operated and supported by its members (all women), who were required to pay annual dues of three dollars or lifetime memberships of thirty dollars.

By 1820, the year of Sarah Ralston’s death, the Society erected a new, larger home at 18th and Cherry Streets, owing to increasing demand for its services. The ever-growing number of women requiring housing led to another relocation in 1886, when the Society acquired land from the Keen estate in West Philadelphia. The handsome four-story building with its beautifully landscaped grounds at 3615 Chestnut Street has remained Ralston’s home ever since. The building was registered as historic in 1971.

Changing as needs change. The uniqueness of Ralston Center has been its ability to refine its services to accommodate prevailing needs in services for older adults. In 1962, recognizing the void in senior housing services for men, Ralston merged with the Tilden Home for Aged Couples and began to serve men as well as women. As residents grew older and more fragile, the need arose for a facility with the capacity to provide a higher and more sophisticated level of care. As a result, in 1982, Ralston’s Board of Managers erected a 120-bed nursing home next door to the original building to accommodate its more fragile residents. The merger with Tilden and the nursing home addition provided a substantial increase in Ralston’s capacity to serve older adults and further solidified the organization’s place as an important provider of services for Philadelphia’s seniors.

A new mission evolves. The emergence of new housing options for older adults during the 1980s required Ralston to rethink and redefine its mission and the rising cost of nursing home operations became prohibitive. Ralston’s Board of Managers recognized that a new direction for the organization was in order. The Ralston House building was closed as a residence; the nursing home was sold to the NewCourtland Foundation, and Ralston’s mission was redefined, while maintaining the commitment to serve Philadelphia’s older adults.

This tradition continues today. Ralston Center is still committed to programs and services that help older adults maintain healthy, independent lives. Since 1985 Ralston has housed organizations engaged in geriatric health services. The building is now home to University of Pennsylvania Health System geriatric health programs, including the Ralston-Penn Center Clinic, the Institute on Aging, and the Penn Low Vision Center. The Ralston Wellness Program, founded in 1991, provides health and wellness programs for older adults. In the fall of 2001, Ralston dedicated the Joseph J. Hill Ralston/Mercy-Douglass House, a 55-unit independent living apartment building for seniors 62 years and older. Created under the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 202 Supportive Housing Program, the state of the art facility features modern conveniences, affordability and security for its residents.

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