Tracey Towers

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Tracey Towers
Tracey Towers IMG 7457 HLG.jpg
Tracey Towers
General information
StatusCompleted
Typeresidential Co-op
Architectural style Brutalist
Location Jerome Yard, Jerome Park
Address
  • 20 West Mosholu Parkway (East Tower)
  • 40 West Mosholu Parkway (West Tower)
Town or city The Bronx, New York City
CountryUS
Coordinates East Tower 40°52′45″N73°53′10″W / 40.87927°N 73.88622°W / 40.87927; -73.88622 , West Tower 40°52′48″N73°53′11″W / 40.87987°N 73.88631°W / 40.87987; -73.88631
Completed1972
Opened1974
Technical details
Material concrete
Design and construction
Architect(s) Paul Rudolph
Other information
Number of suites871
Tracey Towers seen from Bedford Park Blvd, next to 3400 Paul Avenue. The Concourse Yard is in the foreground, storing New York City Subway trains. Bedford Pk Blvd West 12 - Concourse Yard.jpg
Tracey Towers seen from Bedford Park Blvd, next to 3400 Paul Avenue. The Concourse Yard is in the foreground, storing New York City Subway trains.

Tracey Towers refers to two twin buildings designed by architect Paul Rudolph, located in the Jerome Park neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. [1] They are a predominant feature of the Bronx's mainly flat skyline. [2] [3]

Contents

History

The buildings were created as a result of the Mitchell-Lama program, in addition, air rights of neighboring properties, including those of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Jerome Yard, were purchased to allow for construction. Intended to be a luxury condominium, [4] the buildings were completed in 1972 and opened in 1974 as subsidized housing. Combined, they have 871 units of various sizes, including one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. [2] [5] The towers became the tallest in the borough when completed, at 400 feet (120 m), although the 404 feet tall River Park Towers took the title just three years later. [6] They were and remain the second-tallest cooperative housing development in the Bronx, behind Co-Op City, which is the largest of its kind in the world. [7] Amenities, however, have been on a slow decline in quality. In particular, tenants complain about the inconsistencies of the towers' boilers, and hot water is frequently shut without prior notice. [8]

Architecture

Tracey Towers consists of nine windowless concrete tubes built with grooved blocks and without any setbacks. These blocks create asterisks which are divided by white slabs relative to each floor. Unlike most buildings in the city, the windows and balconies are placed in between the gaps formed by the concrete tubes. These tubes are also designed to spiral around a central keystone-like structure on a square-shaped plot. This design was chosen in order to align with Rudolph's vision for a futuristic obelisk. This architectural style which the towers employ is known as brutalism, with some postmodern elements added. [9] The plot of land which it sits on is mostly resembles a trapezoid and takes up the majority of the land on the block. [10] The inside is similarly as complex; tenants and visitors alike are confused at the various openings and exits. Although they may appear identical at first, one is taller and has three more floors than its shorter counterpart. The complex sits on the Jerome Yard, which forces the heights of the buildings to differ by a significant margin. [11]

Parking lot

The parking lot of Tracey Towers maintains the same design as the towers proper. About a story tall, an ear-shaped route which ramps downward toward the intersection at Mosholu Parkway and Paul Avenue is necessary for vehicles. Cars loop around on a curved, slightly elevated route to enter the lot which starts on the intersection with Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue. The entire route is one-way only, and it goes under the East Tower at one point. The route is mostly separate from the parking lot except for where cars exit/enter it. A blue basketball court is present on the building. [12]

Metropolitan Transportation Authority

The Jerome Yard is located under the parking lot, which stores the rolling stock of the New York City Subway's 4 train. [13] A yellow, blocky maintenance building cuts through some of the parking lot space. A stub of the IRT Jerome Avenue Line diverges from the main line heading west, sloping down until the tracks travel under the parking lot. [14] [15] Another, human-accessible entrance exists at Paul Avenue below the exit ramp mentioned below. It also handles vehicles. [16] [17]

Deterioration

Like the rest of the complex, the parking lot has been tampered with by both natural and man-made sources. This includes graffiti and vines stretching through all of the parking lot's walls. [18] [19]

Coordinates

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosholu Parkway station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Mosholu Parkway station is a local station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burnside Avenue station</span> New York City Subway station in the Bronx

The Burnside Avenue station is an express station on the IRT Jerome Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Burnside and Jerome Avenues in the Bronx, it is served by the 4 train at all times. It also serves as a rush hour short turn northern terminal for select 4 trains from Crown Heights–Utica Avenue.

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Bedford Park is a residential neighborhood in the northwest Bronx, New York City, adjacent to the New York Botanical Garden. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Mosholu Parkway to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 196th Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west.

The IRT Jerome Avenue Line, also unofficially known as IRT Woodlawn Line, is an A Division New York City Subway line mostly along Jerome Avenue in the Bronx. Originally an Interborough Rapid Transit Company-operated route, it was built as part of the Dual Contracts expansion and opened in 1917 and 1918. It is both elevated and underground, with 161st Street–Yankee Stadium being the southernmost elevated station. The line has three tracks from south of the Woodlawn station to the 138th Street–Grand Concourse station. The Woodlawn Line also has a connection to the Jerome Yard, where 4 trains are stored, just north of the Bedford Park Boulevard–Lehman College station.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pelham Parkway (neighborhood), Bronx</span> Neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mosholu Parkway</span> Road in the Bronx, New York

Mosholu Parkway is a 3.03-mile-long (4.88 km) parkway in the borough of the Bronx in New York City, constructed from 1935 to 1937 as part of the roadway network created under Robert Moses. The roadway extends between the New York Botanical Garden and Van Cortlandt Park. The New York City Department of Transportation is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the roadway while the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the surrounding rights-of-way. The parkway is designated as New York State Route 908F (NY 908F), an unsigned reference route, by the New York State Department of Transportation.

Van Cortlandt Village is a subsection of the Kingsbridge neighborhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 8. Named after Van Cortlandt Park, it is bordered by the Major Deegan Expressway to the west, the Jerome Park Reservoir to the east, West 238th Street to the south, and Van Cortlandt Park to the north. Its ZIP Code is 10463.

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Gun Hill Road is a major thoroughfare in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The road stretches for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) from Mosholu Parkway in Norwood to Stillwell Avenue in Baychester, near an exit for the Hutchinson River Parkway. Van Cortlandt Park and the Mosholu Golf Course are both located at the western terminus of Gun Hill Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerome Avenue</span> Avenue in the Bronx, New York

Jerome Avenue is one of the longest thoroughfares in the New York City borough of the Bronx, New York, United States. The road is 5.6 miles (9.0 km) long and stretches from Concourse to Woodlawn. Both of these termini are with the Major Deegan Expressway which runs parallel to the west. Most of the elevated IRT Jerome Avenue Line runs along Jerome Avenue. The Cross Bronx Expressway interchanges with Jerome and the Deegan. Though it runs through what is now the West Bronx neighborhood, Jerome Avenue is the dividing avenue between nominal and some named "West" and "East" streets in the Bronx; Fifth Avenue, and to a lesser extent, Broadway, also splits Manhattan into nominal "West" and "East" streets.

Webster Avenue is a major north–south thoroughfare in the Bronx, New York City, United States. It stretches for 5.8 miles (9.3 km) from Melrose to Woodlawn. The road starts at the intersection of Melrose Avenue, East 165th Street, Brook Avenue, and Park Avenue in the neighborhood of Melrose, ending at Nereid Avenue in the neighborhood of Woodlawn. There are no subway lines along this thoroughfare, unlike the streets it parallels—Jerome Avenue, The Grand Concourse, and White Plains Road, which all have subway lines —but until 1973, Webster Avenue north of Fordham Road was served by the Third Avenue Elevated, served by the 8 train.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgwick Avenue</span> Avenue in the Bronx, New York

Sedgwick Avenue is a major street in the Bronx, New York City. It runs roughly parallel to Jerome Avenue, the Major Deegan Expressway, and University Avenue. Sedgwick Avenue is one of the longest streets in the western part of the Bronx, running from Mosholu Parkway at the north to Macombs Dam Bridge at its southern end, about 800 feet west of Yankee Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Jerome's Church (Bronx)</span> Building in New York City, United States of America

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References

  1. ↑ Bernstein, Fred (October 13, 2005). "Second Look: Tracey Towers by Paul Rudolph, 1972". ArchNewsNow. Archived from the original on June 18, 2017. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "The Bronx | Buildings". www.emporis.com. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  3. ↑ "The DeMatteis Organization | Tracey Towers". Archived from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Lehman College Art Gallery: Architecture/Tracey Towers". www.lehman.edu. December 8, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Apartment for Rent Bronx". ApartmentFinder.com. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  6. ↑ Goodstein, Steven (May 16, 2015). "40-year anniversary for River Park Towers". Bronx Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Bronx's cheapest affordable housing complex facing 77 percent rent hike". The Real Deal New York. June 7, 2011. Archived from the original on May 10, 2016. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  8. ↑ Sanchez, Kirsten (February 3, 2013). "Tracey Towers tenants given the big freeze by management". Bronx Times. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  9. ↑ "New York Architecture Photos: Tracey Towers". NewYorkitecture. February 22, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Tracey Towers". Tracey Towers. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  11. ↑ "TRACEY TOWERS". NYC URBANISM. March 2, 2018. Archived from the original on December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Overview". Google Earth. Archived from the original on November 15, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Subdivision Car Assignments: Cars Required June 24, 2018" (PDF). 61 (7). Electric Railroaders' Association. July 2018: 16. Retrieved November 8, 2018.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. ↑ "NYCT - Mosholu Yard/Jerome Maintance [sic] Facility Home of The (4) Line". Foursquare. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  15. ↑ ToonRuss Network Productions {2}, Russell (2016), R142/A (4) Trains Mosholu Pkwy - Beford Pk Blvd From Tracey Towers View, Bronx, New York (published May 28, 2016), p. 1, retrieved December 19, 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  16. ↑ Dougherty, Peter (2006) [2002]. Tracks of the New York City Subway 2006 (3rd ed.). Dougherty. OCLC   49777633 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Dougherty, Peter (2016). "New York City Track Book Page 75 Revisions" (PDF). NYC Trackbook. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ Guerinos Against Graffitti, GAG NYC 10 22 17 Walls of Shame Tracey Towers Parking lot , retrieved December 19, 2018
  19. ↑ Cruz, David (December 18, 2014). "Mess of the Month - Graffiti At Tracey Towers". i0.wp.com. Norwood News. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
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