Gowanus Houses

The Gowanus Houses is a housing project of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), located between Douglass and Wyckoff Streets & Bond and Hoyt Streets in both the Gowanus and Boerum Hill neighborhoods of Brooklyn. It sits on 12.57 acres (5.09 ha) of land, consisting of sixteen separate buildings. As of December 2022, the housing development accommodates over 2,600 residents in 1,139 apartment units.^[1]

Gowanus Houses
NYCHA property
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40.683700°N 73.989500°W / 40.683700; -73.989500
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Brooklyn
Area
• Total	0.0196 sq mi (0.051 km2)
Population
• Total	2,604[1]
Zip code	11217
Area code(s)	718, 347, and 929, and 917

History

Gowanus Houses, from the corner of Bond and Douglass St

In 1944 NYCHA announced their plans to demolish the existing row houses on the blocks bounded by Hoyt, Bond, Douglass, and Wykoff Streets, to make way for a series of sixteen modernist towers, designed by William T. McCarthy, Rosario Candela, and Ely Jacques Kahn.^[2] By 1946 the land was cleared,^[3] however, due to a wartime restriction of materials,^[4] the project was delayed until 1948. In January of that year,^[5] NYCHA broke ground^[6] and the project was completed by June of 1949.^[7] The development included a community center, playground, and public park.^[8]

The Gowanus Houses was the setting for Spike Lee's 1995 film, Clockers,^[9] in which it was renamed the "Nelson Mandela Houses" for the movie.^[10]

In 2005 the Gowanus Houses Community Center was shuttered. However, following the recent rezoning & redevelopment of the Gowanus neighborhood, the community has secured the funds needed to reopen the center, along with other improvements.^[11]

See also

• New York City Housing Authority
• List of New York City Housing Authority properties

References

1. "Gowanus Houses at a Glance" (PDF). New York City Housing Authority. December 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
2. "Boerum Hill Historic District Extension" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. June 26, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
3. Boerum Hill Extension Proposed Historic District. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. 1977. p. 11. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
4. "State to Rush Gowanus Area Housing Plans". The Brooklyn Citizen. February 26, 1945. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
5. "Officials Start Work On Gowanus Houses". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 5, 1948. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
6. Fisher, Ian (April 11, 1993). "Promise and Despair Share Project". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
7. Rosenblum, Constance (January 7, 2010). "An Apartment Covered in Memories". The New York Times. New York, NY. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
8. "Court Acts to Adjust Housing Site Awards". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. August 19, 1946. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
9. Lethem, Jonathan (August 21, 2023). "The Invention of a Neighborhood". The New Yorker. Advance Publications. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
10. Sterritt, David (2013). Spike Lee's America. Polity Press. p. 127. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
11. Duggan, Kevin (July 12, 2019). "Center of attention: City to invest in Boerum Hill, Gowanus community centers". Brooklyn Paper. Schneps Media. Retrieved September 24, 2023.