Book excerpt: Content Description Voluntary vernacular -- Why cities needed saving -- Sacred and secular organizational ideologies -- Voluntary associations with an urban presence -- New york City headquarters, smaller city branches -- Boston, the cradle of redemptive places -- Men build Chicago's skyline, women redeem the city -- How women saved the city -- Appendix A : literature review -- Appendix B : organizational charters -- Appendix C : addresses of redemptive places for Bboston, Chicago, and New York City.