Toberman Neighborhood Center

Toberman was founded in 1903 by James and Emma Toberman as a memorial to their only son Homer, who passed away at age 29 in 1902. James came to Los Angeles in 1864 when he was assigned here to be an IRS tax assessor by President Abraham Lincoln. James then became the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles from 1872 to 1874 and from 1878 to 1882. The agency was first located in Echo Park and was originally named The Homer Toberman Mission. As one of the oldest Methodist Mission projects, Tobeman provided an infirmary, a residence for single women, and youth development and prevention services.
In 1917, the agency moved to Boyle Heights and operated as an original settlement house. Then, in 1937 Toberman made another move to the Barton Hill community in San Pedro, where it remains today, and adopted a new name Toberman Settlement House. Since that time Toberman has kept pace with the changing and diverse needs of the Harbor community. In October of 2007, Toberman welcomed the grand opening of its newly built 36,000 square foot campus and became Toberman Neighborhood Center.