Carver Houses

Carver Houses, or George Washington Carver Houses, is a public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in Spanish Harlem, a neighborhood of Manhattan.[3][4]

Carver Houses
NYCHA property
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40.7906°N 73.9506°W / 40.7906; -73.9506
CountryUnited States
StateNew York
CityNew York City
BoroughManhattan
Area
[1]
 • Total0.022 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Population
 • Total2,646 [2]
ZIP codes
10029
Area code(s)212, 332, 646, and 917
Websitemy.nycha.info/DevPortal/

Carver Houses has 13 buildings, on a campus with an area of 14.63 acres (5.92 ha).[3] Nine of those (I-II, V-IX, XII-XIII) are fifteen stories tall, while the other four (III-IV, X-XI) are six stories tall.[5] The development is bordered by East 99th Street to the south, East 106th Street to the north, Park Avenue to the east, and Madison Avenue to the west.[3] In addition, East 102nd Street and East 104th Street run through the campus.[6] The nine buildings of Carver Houses have a total of 1,246 apartments housing about 2,723 people.[3]

About

The Carver houses replaced brownstones and tenement buildings which were demolished through slum clearance, displacing residents.[7] During construction, crews discovered they were building over Montague's Creek, which fed into Hell Gate.[8] The first buildings of the development were completed in 1955,[9] and the rest by January 31, 1958.[3] Kahn & Jacobs designed the complex[5] which is named after George Washington Carver (1864-1943), an African American chemist, botanist, and educator who, despite being enslaved since birth, developed many uses for soybeans, peanuts, and sweet potatoes.[3] The playground was designed by landscape architect M. Paul Friedberg, whose climbable sculpture was inspired by Isamu Noguchi.[10] The project was funded by the state; rentals initially cost $12 a room.[11] Once completed, the neighborhood saw a population decrease from over 2,000 residents to around 1,200.[7]

In December 1970, led by the Young Lords, tenants organized a rent strike until NYCHA provided more police officers to help preserve their community.[12]

In 2007, GrowNYC installed a community garden on the property.[13]

As of 2019, Shaun Commodore is serving as Resident Association President for Carver Houses, and is a member of the Manhattan South District Citywide Council of Presidents.[14]

In 2020, Trust Republic Land, Mount Sinai, and NYCHA worked to bring Carver Houses the first outdoor Adult Fitness Zone on NYCHA grounds.

Carver Houses is served by the 23rd precinct of the New York City Police Department, and is governed by Manhattan Community Board 11.[15][16]

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Carver Houses Area". Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  2. "Carver Houses Population".
  3. "Carver, George Washington Houses". NYCHA Housing Developments. New York: New York City Housing Authority. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  4. "El Barrio (Spanish Harlem)". nyc.com. New York: NYC.com Inc. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  5. "George Washington Carver Houses, New York City". Emporis.com. Emporis Corporation. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  6. "1475 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10029". Google Maps. Google, Inc. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  7. Bell, Christopher (December 6, 2012). East Harlem Remembered: Oral Histories of Community and Diversity. McFarland. ISBN 9780786492541.
  8. "About New York; Hydroponic Cellar Farm Yields Bean Sprouts As Crop--Old Creek Under Carver Houses". New York Times. May 16, 1956. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  9. "TENANTS REJOICE IN CARVER HOUSES; Aged Get First 8 Apartments in Uptown Project -- Special Features Have Big Appeal". New York Times. January 26, 1955. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  10. Meier, Allison (May 6, 2016). "The Forgotten Artistic Playgrounds of the 20th Century". Hyperallergic. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  11. "Last 29 Families About to Quit Carver Houses Site in Harlem; Tenants About To Be Moved How Site Was Cleared Record Auto Toll in California". New York Times. October 4, 1956. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  12. Umbach, Gregory Holcomb; Umbach, Fritz (2011). The Last Neighborhood Cops: The Rise and Fall of Community Policing in New York Public Housing. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813549064.
  13. "George Washington Carver Garden for Living | GrowNYC". www.grownyc.org. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
  14. "Manhattan South District CCOP Office". Residents' Corner. New York: New York City Housing Authority. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  15. "NYCHA GIS". NYCHA Housing Developments. New York: New York City Housing Authority. Retrieved January 18, 2010.
  16. "District Map". cb11m.org. New York: Manhattan Community Board 11. Archived from the original on January 26, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2010.

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