Mission & History

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Our Mission & Vision

Our Mission:

To inspire and enhance members’ lives through stimulating interaction with ideas and friends in an adult learning center and to connect them with opportunities to serve the community.

Our Vision:

To be a vibrant adult lifelong learning community that energizes mind, body and spirit through diverse and stimulating courses, social activities, service opportunities, and intergenerational involvement.

We Value:

1. Integrity: We act to carry out our mission and vision with respect, accountability, responsibility and transparency in all our interactions.

2. Collaboration: Working together as a diverse and inclusive membership to plan and participate in programs and activities, we stay active, pursue growth, find purpose, and build trust and friendship.

3. Community: Committed to learning and building relationships we find our lives enriched and affirmed by the sense of belonging that drives physical and mental wellbeing, joy and healthy aging.

4. Excellence: We provide high quality programming in keeping with our mission and vision, actively seeking feedback in order to improve.

5. Stewardship: We are responsible for the planning and management of our social, financial, and physical resources.

Sharing Knowledge, Sharing Friendship

Hamilton House approaches aging in a positive, holistic manner that offers individuals 55 and older both meaning and purpose.

The impact of our mission aligns with continuing and emerging research that is being pursued by scientists affiliated with the National Institute on Aging. Individuals are social creatures our relationships to others enable us to live and thrive. But, as we age, many of us are alone more often than when we were younger, leaving us susceptible to social isolation and loneliness.

Findings from a growing body of research has associated social isolation and loneliness and older people to higher susceptibility to a variety of physical and mental conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, diminished immune system, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's disease. Those who find themselves alone due to the death of a spouse or partner, disconnection from family or friends, retirement, loss of mobility, and absence of transportation are at distinct risk. In contrast those older individuals who involve themselves in worthwhile, beneficial activities with others tend to live longer, improve their mood, and have a sense of purpose. Studies indicate that these activities seem to help regulate their well-being and may enhance their cognitive function.

"Loneliness acts as a fertilizer for other diseases. The biology of loneliness can accelerate the buildup of plaque in arteries, help cancer cells grow and spread and promote inflammation in the brain leading to Alzheimer's disease. Loneliness promotes several different types of wear and tear on the body." - Steve Cole, Ph.D., Director of the Social Genomics Core Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles

Hamilton House's lively social and educational network encourages an environment for our members to build community and thrive. We believe that this has a valuable impact on both our members and the larger Rhode Island and southern New England community.

Find a home at Hamilton House

Monday through Friday our members choose from a wide spectrum of stimulating classes, informative lectures, speaker series, hands-on workshops, volunteer opportunities, and social events which sustain the physical, intellectual, and social dimensions of life.

Other services encompass women’s and men’s groups as well as wellness sessions for the mind, body, and soul such as tai chi, yoga, meditation, exercise for seniors, pilates, dance fitness, and nutrition. Our chef serves lunch weekdays and prepares the menus and offerings for special events.

Being a community and a family has been Hamilton House's identity since its founding in 1972. Lifelong learning in a distinctly social, family-like atmosphere was the original concept and it remains our mission today. The impact on our membership is remarkable.

Explore our Offerings

Our History

Celebrating 50 years as a thriving community

Built in 1896, what we now call Hamilton House was formerly a family home. In 1972 Hamilton House, as we know it, was founded by the Reverend Gibson, PhD as a mission of the Central Congregational Church, which adjoins our property at 296 Angell Street, Providence, Rhode Island. In 2022 we celebrated our 50th Anniversary as a nonprofit serving individuals 55 years and older. An insight from our founder probably best expresses our intent as a nonprofit organization: “Hamilton House . . . is finally, I believe, a rare combination of place, people, and program held together by a spirit that helps us all toward human fulfillment.” Our organization continues to be one of the select few Rhode Island centers for older individuals that intentionally combines expanded learning, social events, school intergenerational programs, and the formation of friendships into one integrated portfolio of possibilities.

The House is listed on the national register, and was designed by the Architects Carrie and Hastings who also designed the New York Public Library, the House and Senate Office Buildings on Capitol Hill, and Central Congregational Church. It is well loved by our membership community.