Carver Houses | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in New York City | |
| Coordinates:40°47′26″N73°57′02″W / 40.7906°N 73.9506°W /40.7906; -73.9506 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New York |
| City | New York City |
| Borough | Manhattan |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.022 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,646[1] |
| ZIP codes | 10029 |
| Area code(s) | 212, 332, 646, and917 |
| Website | my |
Carver Houses, orGeorge Washington Carver Houses, is apublic housing development built and maintained by theNew York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) inSpanish Harlem, a neighborhood ofManhattan.[3][4]
Carver Houses has 13 buildings, on a campus with an area of 14.63 acres (5.92 ha).[3] Nine of those (I-II, V-IX, XII-XIII) are fifteen stories tall, while the other four (III-IV, X-XI) are six stories tall.[5] The development is bordered byEast 99th Street to the south,East 106th Street to the north,Park Avenue to the east, andMadison Avenue to the west.[3] In addition,East 102nd Street andEast 104th Street run through the campus.[6] The nine buildings of Carver Houses have a total of 1,246 apartments housing about 2,723 people.[3]
The Carver houses replaced brownstones and tenement buildings which were demolished throughslum clearance, displacing residents.[7] During construction, crews discovered they were building over Montague's Creek, which fed intoHell Gate.[8] The first buildings of the development were completed in 1955,[9] and the rest by January 31, 1958.[3]Kahn & Jacobs designed the complex[5] which is named afterGeorge Washington Carver (1864-1943), anAfrican American chemist, botanist, and educator who, despite being enslaved since birth, developed many uses for soybeans, peanuts, and sweet potatoes.[3] The playground was designed by landscape architectM. Paul Friedberg, whose climbable sculpture was inspired byIsamu Noguchi.[10] The project was funded by the state; rentals initially cost $12 a room.[11] Once completed, the neighborhood saw a population decrease from over 2,000 residents to around 1,200.[7]
In December 1970, led by theYoung Lords, tenants organized a rent strike until NYCHA provided more police officers to help preserve their community.[12]
In 2007, GrowNYC installed acommunity garden on the property.[13]
As of 2019, Shaun Commodore is serving as Resident Association President for Carver Houses, and is a member of the Manhattan South District Citywide Council of Presidents.[14]
In 2020, Trust Republic Land, Mount Sinai, and NYCHA worked to bring Carver Houses the first outdoor Adult Fitness Zone on NYCHA grounds.
Carver Houses is served by the 23rd precinct of theNew York City Police Department, and is governed byManhattan Community Board 11.[15][16]