Red Hook Houses

Last updated
Red Hook Houses
NYCHA property
Red Hook Project, Brooklyn, New York. LOC gsc.5a03936.jpg
Red Hook Houses in 1939
Red Hook Houses
Location within New York City
Coordinates: 40°40′33″N74°00′17″W / 40.675838°N 74.004608°W / 40.675838; -74.004608
Country Flag of the United States.svg  United States
State Flag of New York.svg  New York
City New York City
Borough Brooklyn
ZIP codes
11231
Area code(s) 718, 347, 929, and 917

Looking northwest across Lorraine and Henry Streets at Red Hook Houses RH Houses East Lorraine eve jeh.jpg
Looking northwest across Lorraine and Henry Streets at Red Hook Houses

The Red Hook Houses are two connected public housing complexes located in Red Hook, Brooklyn, New York City. Managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), they comprise the largest housing development in Brooklyn. [1]

Contents

The Red Hook Houses are composed of Red Hook East and Red Hook West. Red Hook East is composed of 16 residential buildings and three non-residential buildings with 1,411 total units and roughly 3,000 residents. Red Hook West is composed of 14 residential buildings and one non-residential building with 1,480 total units and roughly 3,300 residents. The buildings are two and six stories tall. [2]

Marion Greenwood working on a fresco mural titled, "Planned Community Life" for the Red Hook Houses, 1940. Archives of American Art - Marion Greenwood - 2132.jpg
Marion Greenwood working on a fresco mural titled, "Planned Community Life" for the Red Hook Houses, 1940.

History

Development

Land for the Red Hook Houses was acquired by condemnation starting in May 1938. [3] [4] The Red Hook Houses were designed by architect Alfred Easton Poor with landscaping by Charles N. Lowrie. Construction was completed on the 40-acre, $13 million project on November 20, 1939. [2] [5] [6] Upon completion, the development was heralded as a modern living residence with fireproofing; modern kitchen, bathroom, and laundry facilities; vermin-proof; and open to light. [7]

In 1940, Marion Greenwood was commissioned by the Federal Art Project to paint frescoes for the Red Hook Houses. The 325-square-foot (30.2 m2) piece, located in the lobby, was titled Blueprint for Living and was intended to express optimism for a more harmonious future for residents. [8] [9] Eleanor Roosevelt toured the development, seeing Greenwood at work, and gave a speech entitled “Restoring Community Life Through Planned Housing Development.” [10] [9]

20th century

On December 17, 1992, P.S. 15 principal Patrick Daly was killed when he walked into the crossfire looking for a student who left the school after a fight at the Red Hook Houses. [11] The residents of the houses and school were shocked by the principal's death, and a 17-year-old suspect was later arrested and charged with killing Daly. [12] After the death, undercover police officers began patrolling the development to remove drugs and violence from the area. [13]

In 1998, the New York City Police Department led a five-month investigation of drug sales at the Red Hook Houses which ended in the arrest of 400 suspects, with 95 percent being residents of the houses. [14]

21st century

Between January 1, 2013, and March 30, 2015, NYCHA tested 113 apartments for lead. Of these, 105 had positive lead tests, the highest positive-test rate of any property in the city. [15]

Hurricane Sandy

The city classifies Red Hook Houses as being in flood zone 1, indicating high flood risk. Before Hurricane Sandy in 2012, various city reports had outlined the need for increased flood protection, projecting floods as high as 5 feet during storm surges. NYCHA officials responded that they did not anticipate storm surges that strong. [16]

When Hurricane Sandy struck, the development was inundated with 6 feet (1.8 m) of flood water through sewer overflow and high tides. [17] [2] [18] The storm left residents without power and fresh water for months. This caused leaks, resulting in mold that hurt many residents' health. [19]

After the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) promised the Red Hook Houses the $560 million, largest single portion of a $3.2 billion grant to NYCHA developments affected by the storm. [20] In 2017, NYCHA began a $63 million project to replace the roofs of all buildings. Other planned improvements include new electrical rooms above the Design Flood Elevation (DFE), a new building for boiler equipment above DFE, the installation of standby generators, flood-proofing above DFE, restoration of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems. Damaged playgrounds and the senior center were also to be repaired. [19] [21] The heat and electricity equipment was to be housed in 14 “utility pods” that would also be used as gathering place for public programs. The flood barrier is designed as a "lily pad" with raised earth in the middle of internal courtyards with an active flood wall and passive barriers. The buildings were designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), which received merits in the 2017 AIANY Design Awards. [22] [23] Completion was anticipated in 2022. Many residents were skeptical of these plans, citing NYCHA dysfunction and the lack of plans to address other quality-of-life concerns such as the elevators and lead paint. [20]

In 2018, residents faced winter heat outages due to inadequate temporary boilers that were installed after Sandy. [20]

Red Hook Initiative

In 2002, the non-profit Red Hook Initiative (RHI) was founded to tackle health and social problems affecting public housing residents. It is dedicated to youth empowerment, social justice, and sustainability. [24] [20]

Local Leaders

In 2013, as a response to Hurricane Sandy, RHI launched Local Leaders, a program to train public housing residents about emergency preparedness and community organizing. [25] By 2019, 250 residents had completed the 10-week course. [20]

Red Hook Farms

Founded in 2013 and managed by RHI, Red Hook Farms is part of NYCHA's Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative. The farm was built and is maintained by residents of Red Hook Houses who are between 18 and 24 and who are members of AmeriCorps' Green City Force. [26] [27] [28]

Red Hook WiFi

Red Hook WiFi was in the works before Hurricane Sandy but was accelerated after the storm cut the neighborhood off from telecommunications. The network uses wireless mesh. RHI trains young housing residents to become “digital stewards" who are paid to work 20 hours a week in a year-long program to teach mesh networking, video production, and web design, with an internship at the end of the training. [29]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canarsie, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

Canarsie is a mostly residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of Brooklyn, New York City. Canarsie is bordered on the east by Fresh Creek Basin and East 108th Street; on the north by Linden Boulevard; on the west by Ralph Avenue; on the southwest by Paerdegat Basin; and on the south by Jamaica Bay. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of East Flatbush to the west, Flatlands and Bergen Beach to the southwest, Starrett City to the east, East New York to the northeast, and Brownsville to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broad Channel, Queens</span> Neighborhood of Queens in New York City

Broad Channel is a neighborhood in the southern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It occupies the southern portion of Rulers Bar Hassock, the only inhabited island in Jamaica Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East New York, Brooklyn</span> Neighborhood of Brooklyn in New York City

East New York is a residential neighborhood in the eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, United States. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are roughly the Cemetery Belt and the Queens borough line to the north; the Queens borough line to the east; Jamaica Bay to the south, and the Bay Ridge Branch railroad tracks and Van Sinderen Avenue to the west. Linden Boulevard, Pennsylvania Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue are the primary thoroughfares through East New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East River Park</span> Public park in Manhattan, New York

East River Park, also called John V. Lindsay East River Park, is 57.5-acre (20 ha) public park located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, administered by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Bisected by the Williamsburg Bridge, it stretches along the East River from Montgomery Street up to 12th Street on the east side of the FDR Drive. Its now-demolished amphitheater, built in 1941 just south of Grand Street, had been reconstructed and was often used for public performances. The park includes football, baseball, and soccer fields; tennis, basketball, and handball courts; a running track; and bike paths, including the East River Greenway, all of which are to be demolished. Fishing is another popular activity, for now.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York City Housing Authority</span> Public development corporation responsible for New York Citys public and leased housing

The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) is a public development corporation which provides public housing in New York City, and is the largest public housing authority in North America. Created in 1934 as the first agency of its kind in the United States, it aims to provide decent, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments. NYCHA developments include single and double family houses, apartment units, singular floors, and shared small building units, and commonly have large income disparities with their respective surrounding neighborhood or community. These developments, particularly those including large-scale apartment buildings, are often referred to in popular culture as "projects."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Hook Park</span> Public park in Brooklyn, New York

Red Hook Recreation Area, also known as Red Hook Park, is a 58.5-acre (237,000 m2) public park in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, composed of several segments centered around Bay Street. The park's recreational facilities include handball courts, softball fields, a soccer and football field, and a running track. The Sol Goldman Play Center, within the block bounded by Bay, Henry, Lorraine and Clinton Streets, consists of a brick bathhouse and two pools. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulton Houses</span> Public housing development in Manhattan, New York

The Robert Fulton Houses is a housing project located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, owned and operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The 6.27-acre (2.54 ha) site is located between West 16th and 19th Streets and bounded by Ninth and Tenth Avenues. The project consists of 945 apartments in eleven buildings; three of the developments are 25 stories, while the others are 6 stories high.

The Prospect Plaza Houses is a 4.53-acre (18,300 m2) complex owned by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the Ocean Hill section of Brooklyn and is bordered by St. Marks and Sterling Place, Howard and Saratoga Avenues. It was the first NYCHA development to be completely demolished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breukelen Houses</span> Public housing development in Brooklyn, New York


Breukelen Houses, also known as Breukelen or Brookline Projects, is a large housing complex maintained in Canarsie, Brooklyn, by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). Its main office is located at 618 East 108th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11236. It is bounded by Flatlands Avenue, East 103rd Street, Williams Avenue and Stanley Avenue. The community sits on 64.98 acres (26.30 ha) and consists of 1,595 apartment units inside 30 structures, all of which are either three or seven stories high. As of March 2008 the population was estimated to be 4,038.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williamsburg Houses</span> Public housing development in Brooklyn, New York

The Williamsburg Houses, originally called the Ten Eyck Houses, is a public housing complex built and operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. It consists of 20 buildings on a site bordered by Scholes, Maujer, and Leonard Streets and Bushwick Avenue. The Williamsburg Houses were built in 1936–1938 under the auspices of the Housing Division of the Public Works Administration (PWA). Richmond Shreve was the chief architect of the project; the design team of nine other architects was led by the Swiss-American modernist William Lescaze. The construction contract was awarded to Starrett Brothers & Eken. The designs called for the inclusion of modern art commissioned through the Federal Arts Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenwood Houses</span> Public housing development in Brooklyn, New York

The Glenwood Houses is a 22.39-acre (9.06 ha) moderate to low income public housing development operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the Flatlands section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The development is bordered by Ralph Avenue on the east, East 56th Street on the west, Glenwood Road/Avenue H on the south, and Farragut Road on the north side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Nicholas Houses</span> Public housing development in Manhattan, New York

St. Nicholas Houses or "Saint Nick," is a public housing project in Central Harlem, in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and are managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The project is located between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, spanning a superblock from 127th Street to 131st Street. The project consists of thirteen 14-story buildings containing 1,523 apartment units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riis Houses</span> Public housing development in Manhattan, New York

The Jacob Riis Houses are a public housing project managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the East Village in New York City. The project is located between Avenue D and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, spanning two superblocks from 6th Street to 13th Street. The project consists of thirteen buildings, between six and 14 stories each, containing 1,191 apartment units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baruch Houses</span> Public housing development in Manhattan, New York

Bernard M. Baruch Houses, or Baruch Houses, is a public housing development built by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Baruch Houses is bounded by Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive to the east, E. Houston Street to the north, Columbia Street to the west, and Delancey Street to the south. The complex, the largest NYCHA development in Manhattan, occupies 27.64 acres (111,900 m2), of which buildings cover 13.4%, a percentage similar to that of most "tower in the park" project designs. It has 2,194 apartments, which house an estimated 5,397 people. These apartments are distributed throughout 17 buildings. Baruch Houses I is seven stories tall, Baruch Houses XI, XIII, and XV are thirteen stories tall, and the rest are fourteen stories tall. Combined, these buildings have 2.9 million square feet (270,000 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LaGuardia Houses</span> Public housing development in Manhattan, New York

Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia Houses, also known as LaGuardia Houses, is a public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia Houses is composed of thirteen buildings, all of which are sixteen stories tall. The buildings have 1,093 apartments and house approximately 2,596 people. The complex occupies 10.96 acres (4.44 ha), and is bordered by Madison Street to the north, Montgomery Street to the east, Cherry Street to the south, and Rutgers Street to the west. LaGuardia Houses Addition is a sixteen-story tower for elderly people at the corner of Jefferson Street and Cherry Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farragut Houses</span> Public housing development in Brooklyn, New York

The Farragut Houses is a public housing project located in the downtown neighborhood of northwestern Brooklyn, New York City, bordering the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Farragut Houses is a property of New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The houses contain 3,272 residents who reside in ten buildings that are each 13 to 14 stories high.

Community gardens in New York City are urban green spaces created and cared for by city residents who steward the often underutilized land. There are over 550 community gardens on city property, over 745 school gardens, over 100 gardens in land trusts, and over 700 gardens at public housing developments throughout New York City. The community garden movement in NYC began in the Lower East Side during the disrepair of the 1960s on vacant, unused land. These first gardens were tended without governmental permission or assistance.

Oyeshola "Shola" Olatoye (o-LAH-twoh-yay) was the 22nd Chair and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) before resigning due to a lead-paint poisoning and lack-of-heat scandals.

Red Hook Wi-Fi is a free-to-use, Wi-Fi mesh network that provides internet access to the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. It is operated by the Red Hook Initiative.

The Louis Heaton Pink Houses or Pink Houses are a housing project in New York City that were established in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn in 1959. It consists of 22 eight-storey buildings with 1,500 apartment units over a 31.1-acre expanse, bordered by Crescent Street, Linden Boulevard, Elderts Lane and Stanley Avenue. It is owned and managed by New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).

References

  1. ↑ "NYCHA 2018 FACT SHEET" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 3 "MyNYCHA Developments Portal". my.nycha.info. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  3. ↑ "City Gets Site in Red Hook Tomorrow; To Raze 161 Buildings for Housing Project". The New York Times. May 5, 1938. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  4. ↑ "City Ready to Take Over Red Hook Housing Site: Authority Starts Work of Acquiring Land Tomorrow" . New York Herald Tribune. May 5, 1938. p. 9. Retrieved January 1, 2021– via ProQuest.
  5. ↑ McGill, Douglas C. (January 16, 1988). "Alfred Easton Poor, Architect, 88". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Guide to the Charles N. Lowrie Papers,[ca.1909–1937]". rmc.library.cornell.edu. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ "$13,000,000 Red Hook Housing Project to Open Tuesday". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. July 2, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved May 6, 2019– via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  8. ↑ Rubinstein, Charlotte (1982). American Women Artists . Boston, MA: G.K. Hall & Co. pp.  217–220.
  9. 1 2 "Red Hook Mural Model Displayed at Exhibition,date=November 8, 1940". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 21. Retrieved May 6, 2019– via Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg .
  10. ↑ Montgomery, Paul L. (November 23, 1970). "Killing at Red Hook Houses Makes Many Fear to Go Out". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  11. ↑ Gruson, Lindsey (January 15, 1993). "A Principal's Legacy: Hope Mixed With Despair; Red Hook Struggles to Prove That an Educator's Violent Death Was Not in Vain". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  12. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (December 19, 1992). "Suspect, 17, Is Arrested in Killing Of Principal Caught in Gun Battle". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  13. ↑ Lyons, Richard D. (January 20, 1993). "Police Arrest 14 During Drug Sweep in Red Hook". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ "METRO NEWS BRIEFS: NEW YORK ; 90 Held as Drug Sweep Ends Red Hook Inquiry". The New York Times. November 15, 1997. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Thousands of NYCHA Red Hook East apartments have lead paint". NY Daily News. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  16. ↑ Crean, Sarah. "Hurricane Sandy And Red Hook". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  17. ↑ Berner, Anna-Sofia (September 25, 2018). "Red Hook: the hip New York enclave caught between gentrification and climate change". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Red Hook After Sandy: Flourishing But Vulnerable". The Bridge. October 24, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  19. 1 2 "5 years post-Sandy, NYCHA begins massive resiliency project at Red Hook Houses". Brooklyn Eagle. September 8, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 Kasakove, Sophie; Williams, Tracie (January 29, 2019). "Is New York City's Public Housing Ready for the Next Storm?". ISSN   0027-8378 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Red Hook Houses: Capital Projects Division – Recovery and Resiliency Plan" (PDF).
  22. ↑ "Large raised earth "Lily Pads" will help stop future floods at KPF's Red Hook Houses". Archpaper.com. March 23, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  23. ↑ "2017 AIANY Design Awards winners announced!". Archpaper.com. March 7, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  24. ↑ "History | Red Hook Initiative". rhicenter.org. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  25. ↑ "Response to Hurricane Sandy | Red Hook Initiative". rhicenter.org. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Farms at NYCHA – Green City Force" . Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Our Farms". Red Hook Farms. Retrieved May 5, 2019.
  28. ↑ "Red Hook Farms | Red Hook Initiative". rhicenter.org. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  29. ↑ Cohen, Noam (August 22, 2014). "Red Hook's Cutting-Edge Wireless Network". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.