Harlem River Houses
Encyclopedia
The Harlem River Houses are located at 151st street and the Harlem River Drive
in the New York City
borough
of Manhattan
, and covers 9 acres (3.6 ha) in Harlem
. They were built in 1937 for African American
s.
, more pressure was added to improving the housing for African Americans, but no attempts were made to desegregate housing.
For the first time, federal money was used for public housing in New York
as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt
’s “New Deal
” social programs. This money came from the Public Works Administration
(PWA). This money was used for two projects in New York City: the Harlem River Houses, intended for black residents, and the Williamsburg Houses
in Brooklyn
, intended for whites. Because the Harlem River Houses were the first federally funded housing projects, their construction and opening attracted national attention.
The Harlem River Houses are said to be the most successful public housing in New York. The architects designed a modern, spacious building that contained 574 apartments. The Harlem River Houses had child care, health care and public community room right on site, and rent in 1937 was $21.00 a month. The buildings are 4 or 5 stories tall. When the project was completed, 11,000 people applied for the new apartments available.
, entitled Green Pastures: Walls of Jericho.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1979.
Harlem River Drive
The Harlem River Drive is a north–south parkway in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs along the west bank of the Harlem River from the Triborough Bridge in East Harlem to 10th Avenue in Inwood, where the parkway continues north as Dyckman Street. The portion of the Harlem River Drive...
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and covers 9 acres (3.6 ha) in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
. They were built in 1937 for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s.
Building
When originally planned, some public housing in New York City was segregated. After the Harlem Riot of 1935Harlem Riot of 1935
The Harlem Riot of 1935 was Harlem's first race riot, sparked off by rumors of the beating of a teenage shoplifter. Three died, hundreds were wounded and an estimated $2 million in damages were sustained to properties throughout the district, with African-American owned homes and businesses spared...
, more pressure was added to improving the housing for African Americans, but no attempts were made to desegregate housing.
For the first time, federal money was used for public housing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
’s “New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
” social programs. This money came from the Public Works Administration
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
(PWA). This money was used for two projects in New York City: the Harlem River Houses, intended for black residents, and the Williamsburg Houses
Williamsburg Houses
The Williamsburg Houses, originally called the Ten Eyck Houses, is a New York City Housing Authority development in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood, New York City, New York....
in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, intended for whites. Because the Harlem River Houses were the first federally funded housing projects, their construction and opening attracted national attention.
The Harlem River Houses are said to be the most successful public housing in New York. The architects designed a modern, spacious building that contained 574 apartments. The Harlem River Houses had child care, health care and public community room right on site, and rent in 1937 was $21.00 a month. The buildings are 4 or 5 stories tall. When the project was completed, 11,000 people applied for the new apartments available.
Monumental art
At their opening in 1937, the Harlem River Houses were the site of a monumental frieze by Harlem sculptor Richmond BartheRichmond Barthé
James Richmond Barthé was an African American sculptor known for his many public works, including the Toussaint L’Ouverture Monument in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and a sculpture of Rose McClendon for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater House.Barthe once said that “all my life I have be interested in...
, entitled Green Pastures: Walls of Jericho.
Today
Today about 12 of the original tenants still live in the Harlem River Houses. The federal government has raised the price of rent. Tenants are to pay 25-30% of their family’s income. Today, the Harlem River Houses are considered to be one of New York’s landmarks. The complex was designated a Special Planned Community Preservation District, a zoning category created in 1974 to "to preserve and protect ... superior examples of town planning or large-scale development."It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1979.
External links
- Dunlap, David W. "At 50, Harlem River Houses is Still Special." The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. April 23, 1987, - Wolf, Eric. "Black History Month, with a Tribute to John L. Wilson Jr. and the Harlem River Houses." Black History Month Celebration. 2000. LaGuardia & Wagner Archives. 2 Oct. 2006.