Riverside Park Community facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Riverside Park Community |
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"front" of building, Broadway side
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| Alternative names | 3333 Broadway |
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Type | Apartment |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Address | 3333 Broadway |
| Town or city | New York, New York |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°49′13″N 73°57′24″W / 40.8202°N 73.9568°W |
| Current tenants | 1,200 |
| Completed | 1976 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Expansion Joints |
| Material | Concrete slab, Brick |
| Floor count | 35 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Max Wechsler |
| Architecture firm | Max Wechsler and Associates |
| Other designers | Richard Dattner and Henry LeGendre |
The Riverside Park Community is a large group of apartment buildings in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It is located at 3333 Broadway between West 133rd and 135th Streets. The complex has five buildings, which range from 11 to 35 stories tall.
Finished in 1976, it was once the biggest residential building complex in the United States. These five buildings contain 1,200 apartments. They were designed to house nearly 1,190 families. The complex also includes the KIPP Infinity Middle School. Today, Urban American Management Corporation manages the property.
Contents
History of Riverside Park Community
The Riverside Park Community was designed by architect Max Wechsler. His first idea was to have five buildings in a semi-circle shape. They would face West 133rd Street and have different heights. The plans also included a public school, a medical center, a pharmacy, and playgrounds. These playgrounds were meant for 1,800 children.
The complex was built under the Mitchell-Lama program. This was a state program started in 1955. It helped landlords get low-interest loans and tax breaks. In return, they had to offer affordable housing to people with lower incomes. The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters Pension Fund helped sponsor this project.
The project cost $54 million. It was the first step in renewing the area between West 125th and 135th Streets. When the apartments first opened in spring 1976, over 9,000 families applied. At that time, a family of five needed to earn at least $13,000 a year to qualify. However, government help made it possible for families with less income to live there. In 1976, a one-bedroom apartment cost $228 per month. A two-bedroom apartment cost $272. Today, these same apartments cost much more.
In 2005, the loan for the property was paid off. The landlord at the time, Jerome Belson, decided to remove the complex from the Mitchell-Lama program. The program rules allowed owners to leave after 20 years if they paid off their mortgage. Around the same time, the management company sold the property for $85 million.
After leaving the program, the rent prices increased. Many tenants were concerned about these changes. Some housing advocates believed that about 300 residents moved out in three years. In 2008, a group of tenants filed a lawsuit. They argued that the property should remain affordable. However, the court dismissed the case. All attempts to appeal this decision also failed.
In 2007, the property was sold again. Cammeby’s Realty Corp. sold it to Urban American Management for $278 million.
Building Design
Who Designed the Buildings?
The main architect for the Riverside Park Community was Max Wechsler. He worked with his firm, Max Wechsler & Associates. Two other architects, Richard Dattner and Henri A. LeGendre, were consultants. The New York Times first gave credit to Dattner and LeGendre for the design. But Max Wechsler later wrote to the newspaper. He clarified that his firm was the main design team. He said Dattner and LeGendre were only consultants. Richard Dattner states he was the lead designer for the housing complex. He also designed the I.S. 195 school located at the base of the complex.
Max Wechsler & Associates also built another tall residential building in the 1970s. This building is at 300 East 34th Street in New York City. Max Wechsler worked as an architect in New York City his whole life. He passed away in 1993.
The firm Dattner Architects has been working in New York since 1964. They have designed over 15,000 affordable and market-rate homes. Richard Dattner has won important awards for his work. These include the Thomas Jefferson Award for Public Architecture.
Where is the Complex Located?
When the Riverside Community Housing complex was first planned, the area looked different. It had many older apartment buildings and industrial businesses. West Harlem faced challenges with crime. New York City was also seeing many families move to the suburbs. City planners and developers wanted to build projects like 3333 Broadway. Their goal was to keep middle-income families living in the city.
The buildings are on a large piece of land. It covers about 285,000 square feet in the Manhattanville part of Harlem. To the west of the buildings is the West Side Highway. Beyond that is the Hudson River. To the east is Broadway. Across West 133rd Street to the south is the Manhattanville Bus Depot. To the north, across West 135th Street, are older brick apartment buildings.
Building Materials and Look
The older apartment buildings around 3333 Broadway often have classic decorations. But the Riverside Housing complex looks very modern. It has very little decoration on its brick and concrete walls. You can see the concrete floors sticking out on each level. This gives the building a horizontal look. This design was common in the 1970s. It was cheap to build, but not always easy to keep warm.
The windows are simple and flat with the outside walls. Inside, the common areas also have a modern feel. They have tall windows, round columns, and shiny terrazzo floors.
The main entrance of the building is set back from Broadway. This design created a small public plaza. It had benches, concrete tables, and trees. This was required by New York City's zoning rules. These rules say a certain amount of open space is needed for approval. The plaza was changed in the early 2000s. It was rebuilt with a more modern design in 2015.
3333 Broadway is built with strong concrete foundations and a concrete structure. The outside walls are made of brick. The floors are concrete slabs. The five buildings are connected using special "expansion joints." These joints allow the buildings to move slightly without causing damage to each other. All tall buildings use these joints. They help handle the weight of the building materials and people inside. They also help with the force of the wind.
Notes
Sources
- Yang, Hoell. "14 Injured, Harlem high-rise building that caught fire has a history of violations, complaints" Pix 11 News. News. August 23, 2015
- Bloom, Nicholas Dagen. Public Housing that Worked; New York City in the Twentieth Century. Philadelphia, 2008.
- Croghan, Lore. “Affordable housing disappearing; Mitchell-Lama woes.” Save Mitchell-Lama. 2 Aug, 2009.
- Del Signore, John. “Tenants Sue Owner of Big Harlem Building Over Displacement Tactics.” Gothamist. 16 Oct, 2008.
- Fuerst, J.S. When Public Housing was Paradise. Connecticut, 2005.
- Hosagrahor, Jyoti. Indigenous Modernities: negotiating architecture and urbanism. London, 2005.
- Momemi, Jamshid. Race, Ethnicity, and Minority in the United States. Connecticut, 1986.
- Schmitz, Corcoran, Gournay, Kuhnert, Pyatok, Retsinas, and Scully. Affordable Housing; Designing and American Asset. Washington, D.C. 2005.
- Stegman, Michael. Dynamics of Rental Housing in New York City. New York, 1982.
- Wechsler, Max. “Project in Harlem.” New York Times 20 June 1976.
- Wechsler, Max. “Somebody, Wake Up!” New York Times 7 Nov 1976.
- Williams, Lena. “A Giant Looks Out Over Harlem.” New York Times 13 June 1976.
- Williams, Timothy. “Eviction Anxiety Rattles a Formerly Subsidized Upper Manhattan Building.” New York Times 15 Oct 2008.
- Display Ad. New York Times 25 April 1976.
