Tracey Towers facts for kids
Tracey Towers are two tall, twin buildings in the Jerome Park area of the Bronx, New York City. They were designed by a famous architect named Paul Rudolph. These buildings are a big part of the Bronx's skyline, which is mostly flat.
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A Look Back: How Tracey Towers Began
The Tracey Towers were built as part of a special program called the Mitchell-Lama program. This program helps create affordable housing. To build the towers, they also bought "air rights" from nearby properties. This means they bought the right to build tall above those properties, even the space above the subway yard!
The buildings were finished in 1972 and opened in 1974. Even though they were first planned to be fancy apartments, they became affordable homes. Together, the towers have 871 apartments. These include one-bedroom and two-bedroom homes.
When they were built, Tracey Towers were the tallest buildings in the Bronx, standing about 400 feet high. But just three years later, the River Park Towers became even taller. Tracey Towers are still the second-tallest cooperative housing buildings in the Bronx. Only Co-Op City, which is the biggest of its kind in the world, is taller.
Over time, some things in the towers have become less good. For example, people living there sometimes complain about problems with the hot water. It can turn off without warning.
Cool Design: What Tracey Towers Looks Like
Tracey Towers are made of nine concrete tubes. These tubes have cool grooves and no steps back as they go up. The concrete blocks create asterisk shapes. White slabs divide these shapes on each floor.
Unlike many buildings, the windows and balconies are placed in the spaces between these concrete tubes. The tubes also spiral around a central part. This design was chosen to look like a futuristic obelisk. The style of these towers is called Brutalism. It also has some modern design ideas mixed in.
The land the towers sit on is shaped like a trapezoid. It takes up most of the block. Inside, the buildings can seem a bit confusing with all their different paths. Even though the towers look the same, one is taller. It has three more floors than the other! This difference in height is because they sit on top of the Jerome Yard.
The Parking Area
The parking lot at Tracey Towers looks similar to the towers themselves. It's about one story tall. Cars use a special ear-shaped ramp to go down towards the street. This ramp leads to the intersection of Mosholu Parkway and Paul Avenue.
Cars loop around on a curved, slightly raised path to enter the lot. This path starts near Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue. The entire path is one-way. At one point, it even goes under the East Tower! There's also a blue basketball court on the building.
Underneath: The Subway Yard
The Jerome Yard is located right under the parking lot. This is where the New York City Subway's 4 train cars are stored. A yellow, blocky building for maintenance cuts through some of the parking lot space.
A short section of the IRT Jerome Avenue Line subway tracks goes under the parking lot. There's also another entrance for people and vehicles on Paul Avenue.
Signs of Time: Wear and Tear
Like other parts of the complex, the parking lot has changed over time. You can see graffiti and vines growing on its walls.
Picture Time: See Tracey Towers!
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Tracey Towers from Jerome Avenue, with the red-bricked High Pumping Station in the foreground.
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Tracey Towers with the train coming out of the parking lot, which houses Jerome Avenue.
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East Tower can be seen releasing smoke.
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Jerome Yard with train coming out of it
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Tracey Towers from West 205th Street. Entrance to Jerome Yard is visible.
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View of Tracey Towers from Mosholu Parkway.
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Both Towers are tall enough that they extend past the Victorian-Era Apartment buildings in the area. Taken from Villa Avenue.
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Entrance to the parking lot.
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Tracey Towers from the local bus.
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An abandoned staircase leading up to the parking lot shows the complex's decay.
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Tracey Towers on a bright day.
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Concourse Yard revealing a tunnel where D and B trains enter the yard. Tracey Towers is in the background.
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Scott Towers (20 stories) and Tracey Towers (38 & 41 stories)
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Two-Bedroom apartment of Tracey Towers
Where to Find Them: Coordinates
- East Tower 40°52′45″N 73°53′10″W / 40.87927°N 73.88622°W, at 20 W Mosholu Parkway
- West Tower 40°52′48″N 73°53′11″W / 40.87987°N 73.88631°W, at 40 W Mosholu Parkway
