Stapleton Houses

The Stapleton Houses are a housing project in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City. The project consists of six 8-story buildings with 693 apartment units. It covers 16.87 acres (6.83 ha) and is bordered by Tompkins Avenue, and Broad, Hill, Warren and Gordon Streets. It is owned and managed by New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and is the largest NYCHA development in Staten Island.^[1]

Stapleton Houses
NYCHA property
Nickname:  Stapleton
Location within New York City
Coordinates: 40.6224°N 74.0815°W / 40.6224; -74.0815
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Staten Island
ZIP codes	10304
Area code(s)	718, 347, 929, and 917

Development

The Stapleton Houses, which began construction in 1959, were designed by architects Ballard, Todd & Snibbe. Each building was designed to be long and narrow and with outdoor galleries to remove interior corridors. Facilities on the site include three playgrounds, lounge, meeting rooms, childcare center and a covered garden terrace.^[2] The development was completed on May 31, 1962.^[1]

In the 1980s, the development saw the rise of the crack epidemic, and with that a rise in crime. Crime declined in the 1990s, but violence did not and the houses are now home to a large array of security cameras.^[3]

Notable residents

• 9th Prince, rapper of Killarmy^[4]
• Ghostface Killah (born 1970), rapper of the Wu-Tang Clan^[5]
• RZA (born 1969), rapper and leader of the Wu-Tang Clan^[4][6]
• Kenny Washington (born 1958), jazz drummer^[7]
• Mack Wilds (born 1989), R&B/Hip-Hop singer and actor^[8]
• Ronell Wilson (born 1982), convicted of the 2003 murder of two undercover New York City police officers^[9]

See also

• List of New York City Housing Authority properties

References

1. "MyNYCHA Developments Portal". my.nycha.info. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
2. "CITY HOUSING DUE ON STATEN ISLAND; $11,660,000 Project of 693 Apartments to Rise With State Aid in Stapleton". The New York Times. February 24, 1959. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
3. Polgreen, Lydia (2003-03-17). "Residents Startled by Project's Link to Killings". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
4. Mlynar, Phullip (4 October 2010). "Q&A: Rapper 9th Prince On His Older Brother RZA And The Early Days Of The Wu-Tang Clan". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
5. Kimble, Julian (26 September 2013). "Which NYC Housing Projects Have Produced the Most Famous People?". Complex. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
6. Hess, Mickey (November 2009). Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9780313343216.
7. "PLACE-BASED COMMUNITY BROWNFIELD PLANNING FOUNDATION REPORT ON EXISTING CONDITIONS | STAPLETON, STATEN ISLAND" (PDF). Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation. March 2016.
8. Feeney, Michael J. (15 September 2013). "Tristan Wilds, star of '90210' and 'The Wire,' makes his move into music with 'New York: A Love Story'". NY Daily News. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
9. Lee, Trymaine (25 January 2007). "Sorrow and Reflection in Killer's Housing Project". The New York Times.