The Lester Patterson Houses or Patterson Houses is a public housing development in the Mott Haven neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City. It was named after Bronx assemblyman and judge Lester W. Patterson. It is one of the largest New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) complexes in the city with fifteen buildings 6 and 13-stories tall and 1,790 apartments. It spans an area of 17.18 acres (6.95 ha), which is located between East 138th and 145th Street and covers two main avenues, Third Avenue and Morris Avenue.[1]
| Judge Lester Patterson Houses | |
|---|---|
 Patterson Houses in 2007 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Location | 2625 3rd Avenue Bronx, NY 10451 |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 40°48′50″N 73°55′24″W / 40.8139896°N 73.9234703°W |
| Opened | 1950 |
| Owner | New York City Housing Authority |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Robert Moses |
Development
editConstruction on the Patterson Houses began in 1948 and were a part of a large push to build public housing developments in the five boroughs.[2] It was the first low rent development completed in the Bronx since World War II and the first families moved into the development in March 1950 with priority for veterans.[3] It was completed on December 31, 1950[1] and named after judge Lester Patterson (1893–1947).[4] The development's playground was later completed in 1953, and was used by the adjacent school P.S. 18 during school hours.[5][6]
Tenants of the development in the 1950s were a diverse mix of people from the South, Caribbean, and Puerto Rico. They introduced each other to their cultures including food and music. Many inter-ethnic marriages resulted from the fusion of cultures.[7]
By the early 1960s, crime in NYCHA developments had risen and the agency added extra detectives to help control crime at 28 developments including Patterson.[8] By the late 1960s, tenants felt that policing was inadequate in the development and an increase in muggings and burglaries due to drugs being found on the site and went on strike by withholding rent from the agency. NYCHA took the tenants to court and the judge sided with the agency citing state law that lack of police presence wasn't a violation that tenants could withhold rent for. This resulted in tenants paying $25,000 in back rent.[9][10]
Notable residents
edit- Dorothy Johnson was the very first Resident to move into Patterson Projects in 1950. Allen Jones, (born 1950), author.
- A.G., rapper of Showbiz and A.G.[11]
- Nathaniel "Tiny" Archibald (born 1948), former NBA player[12]
- Oxiris Barbot, Commissioner of Health of the City of New York
- Iran "The Blade" Barkley (born 1960), boxer[13]
- Angelo Cruz (born 1958), Puerto Rican professional basketball player[14]
- Guy Fisher (born 1947), convicted racketeer and owner of the Apollo Theater[15]
- Percee P (born 1969), rapper[11]
- Barry Rogers (1935–1991), salsa musician and jazz fusion trombonist[7]
- Prince Royce (born 1989), Latin musical artist[16]
Mayor
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "MyNYCHA Developments Portal". my.nycha.info. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "CRISIS IN HOUSING SEEN EASING SOON; Greatest Sustained Building in City History Is at Hand, Farrell Says". The New York Times. August 1, 1948. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "30 FAMILIES MOVE INTO NEW HOUSING; IN THE SHADOW OF THE OLD AND THE NEW". The New York Times. March 8, 1950. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "What's in a Name". New York City Housing Authority. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20.
- ^ "TWO PLAYGROUNDS OPEN; Tracts of Park Department Are in Brooklyn and Bronx". The New York Times. November 3, 1953. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "BRONX PLAYGROUND OPENS; School and Parks Department to Share Recreation Area". The New York Times. October 31, 1953. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ a b Opie, Frederick Douglass (2008). "Eating, Dancing, and Courting in New York Black and Latino Relations, 1930-1970". Journal of Social History. 42 (1): 79–109. doi:10.1353/jsh.0.0044. ISSN 0022-4529. JSTOR 25096599. S2CID 144508015.
- ^ "200 GUARDS HIRED FOR CITY HOUSING; 100 Private Detectives Will Join Regular Forces at 28 Projects Tonight OTHERS ARE DUE LATER Authority Hopes to Replace New Men in Eight Weeks With Regular Recruits Assigned to Bad Areas Duty at Manhattanville 200 GUARDS HIRED FOR CITY HOUSING". The New York Times. September 15, 1962. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "RENT STRIKE ENDED BY PROJECT TENANTS". The New York Times. January 9, 1969. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "CITY IS EVICTING RENT PROTESTERS; Notifies 53 Bronx Tenants Who Withheld Payments". The New York Times. January 7, 1969. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ a b "unkut.com – A Tribute To Ignorance (Remix)". Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ Rimer, Sara (2006-07-30). "Painting a Portrait of Black Experience in the Bronx". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (2007-03-25). "Barkley, Once a Boxing King, Now Has a One-Bedroom Kingdom". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-12-13.
- ^ Lopez, Jonathan (2010-08-09). "Original Old School: Missing The Point". SLAM. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ Jones, Allen; Naison, Mark (2009). The Rat that Got Away: A Bronx Memoir. Fordham Univ Press. ISBN 9780823231027.
- ^ Beekman, Daniel (2012-04-12). "Hundreds of screaming fans welcome singer Prince Royce back to Bronx as he releases second album". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2019-10-15.