Gowanus Houses | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Location in New York City | |
| Coordinates:40°41′01″N73°59′22″W / 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, and917 |
TheGowanus Houses is a housing project of theNew York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), located between Douglass and Wyckoff Streets & Bond and Hoyt Streets in both theGowanus andBoerum 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]
In 1944 NYCHA announced their plans to demolish the existingrow houses on the blocks bounded by Hoyt, Bond, Douglass, and Wykoff Streets, to make way for a series of sixteenmodernist towers, designed by William T. McCarthy,Rosario Candela, andEly 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 forSpike 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]