Cypress Hills Houses

Cypress Hills Houses
NYCHA Property
Interactive map of Cypress Hills Houses
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Brooklyn
Area
• Total	28.75 acres (11.63 ha)
Population
• Total	2,824 [1]
Zip Code	11208

The Cypress Hills Houses is a NYCHA Housing Project with 11 buildings that are 7-stories tall. It is located between Sutter Avenue to Linden Boulevard and also between Fountain to Euclid Avenues in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn. ^[2] Designed by the architectural firm of Carson & Lundin, the complex was completed in May 1955. ^{[1] [3]}

History

The Cypress Hills Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library opened at the complex in September 1955 and was the first branch of the public library system to open in a housing project; it was replaced in 1995 by a new building located on the north side of Sutter Avenue. ^{[4] [5]}

In May 1967, two experimental playgrounds designed by architect Charles Forberg opened at the complex. The larger of the two circular playgrounds was 72 feet (22 m) in diameter and contained a pattern of 7-foot-tall (2.1 m) concrete slabs. The $70,000 project was sponsored by NYCHA, the Museum of Modern Art and the Park Association of New York City. ^{[3] [6] [7]}

21st Century

In early 2018, the Roma Scaffolding company started replacing built-up roofs with a new fluid-applied system and destroyed smoke rooms and chimneys, restored brickwork, changed the roof railings, and changed the 90 doors within in the housing project. ^[8]

See also

• New York City Housing Authority

References

1. "NYCHA Development Data Book 2025" (PDF). New York City Housing Authority. p. 26, c. 5. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
2. "Cypress Hills" (PDF). New York City Housing Authority. Retrieved 2025-12-08.
3. Stern, Robert A. M.; Mellins, Thomas; Fishman, David (1995). New York 1960: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Second World War and the Bicentennial . New York: Monacelli Press. p. 926. ISBN   1-885254-02-4. OCLC   32159240. OL   1130718M.
4. "New Library Ready". The New York Times. 1955-09-18. p. 51. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
5. "Cypress Hills Library". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
6. "Newest Thing in Playgrounds Opens in Brooklyn". The New York Times. 1967-05-19. p. 35. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
7. "The Ignoble Experiment" (PDF). Progressive Architecture. August 1967. p. 47. Retrieved 2025-12-09.
8. "Cypress Hills Houses". Roma Scaffolding. Retrieved 2025-12-09.