River Park Towers facts for kids

River Park Towers are two groups of tall residential buildings in the Bronx, New York City. They were finished in 1975. At that time, they became the tallest buildings in the Bronx. No other building in the Bronx has been built taller since then. These towers were designed by Davis, Brody & Associates. Their main goal was to offer good, affordable homes for working families.

Building the Towers: A Home for Families

The River Park Towers were built thanks to a special program. This program was called the Mitchell-Lama Housing Program. It started in 1955. The program helped build homes that people could afford. Many similar projects were built across New York.

Companies that built these homes received big loans. These loans covered most of the building costs. The state also offered special bonds. These bonds had low interest rates. This helped keep the rent low for families. It also meant the buildings could have modern features. This is how River Park Towers, two modern skyscrapers, were built. They provided homes for families with average incomes.

Choosing the Location

The land for the towers was bought at a very low price. It used to be an industrial area. It was a good spot because it was near important transportation. This included the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. The Major Deegan Expressway was also close by. And the Harlem River offered another way to travel.

The towers are in Morris Heights. This is a neighborhood in the Bronx. Their addresses are 10, 20, 30, and 40 Richman Plaza. The New York State Urban Development Corporation helped fund the project. This was a public agency created in 1968. Their support allowed the construction to begin. The towers were completed in 1975.

Community Impact During a Health Crisis

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many working-class neighborhoods in the Bronx were hit hard. This included places with many people living close together. Many residents of River Park Towers worked in important jobs. These jobs included home health aides and grocery clerks. They also worked as delivery people and pharmacists. Many of these workers did not have health insurance. They also often lacked paid sick time.

These jobs were considered "essential workers." This meant many residents were exposed to the virus. By May 2020, it was thought that about 100 residents had caught the virus. This led to the towers being called "death towers" by some news reports. This showed how difficult the pandemic was for the community.

Images for kids

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  A diagram of the Harlem River. The towers are the two tall buildings to the left of the river, in the bottom right corner (on the east bank).