Celebrating Caroline Kline Galland

March is Women’s History Month, a time to celebrate women’s achievements. And it’s always a good time to celebrate our founder, Caroline Rosenberg Kline Galland!

Caroline Rosenberg was born in in 1841 in Bavaria, a region of Germany, and emigrated to the United States. Her first marriage was to Louis (or Lazarus) Kline, a partner in a successful Seattle clothing firm. He died in 1892, and she soon married Bonham Galland, a retired San Francisco merchant.

Caroline, one of Seattle’s wealthiest women, had no children, and she devoted her time, money, and energy to helping the poor. Many benefited from her generosity, and it was said that she never turned down a request for help.

When she died in 1905, Caroline Rosenberg Kline Galland left her estate of $1.4 million to numerous charities, including the Caroline Kline Galland Home for the Aged and Feeble Poor, which opened its doors in 1914. The original Seward Park home, with a capacity of just seven residents, has grown into the campus we now know.

Caroline’s home

Caroline’s home in south Capitol Hill still stands, and in fact it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. You’ll find it at 1605 17th Ave. Built in 1903, the home sits in an area where most of the homes similar in scale and design have been demolished, leaving it as the only reminder of the neighborhood’s former character.

Her legacy

Caroline’s kindness and generosity of spirit are alive and well today at Kline Galland. Thanks to her legacy, the original home serving seven residents has grown to three location serving thousands of people, in both their own homes and in ours. And, of course, her legacy also means that hundreds of people have meaningful work serving the aging population.

Would Caroline be surprised at how much her original home for the aged has grown and thrived? Perhaps. But then again, perhaps not – because she knew the human capacity for caring is boundless.

You can read more about Caroline Kline Galland and our organization’s growth on our website.

Photo: UW Special Collections