St. Nicholas Houses

St. Nicholas Houses
St. Nicholas Houses
NYCHA property
	Location in New York City
	Coordinates: 40°48′38″N 73°56′53″W / 40.810540°N 73.948110°WCoordinates: 40°48′38″N 73°56′53″W / 40.810540°N 73.948110°W
Country	United States
State	New York
City	New York City
Borough	Manhattan
Area
• Total	0.024 sq mi (0.06 km2)
Population
• Total	3,525
Zip codes	10027
Area code(s)	212, 332, 646, and 917
Website	my.nycha.info/DevPortal/

St. Nicholas Houses or "Saint Nick," is a public housing project in Central Harlem, in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and are managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA). The project is located between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, spanning a superblock from 127th Street to 131st Street. The project consists of thirteen 14-story buildings containing 1,523 apartment units.^[3]

Development[]

The site formerly consisted of city blocks with small attached homes in poor condition, and existing residents were removed via a slum clearance program.^[4] In 1952, the first tenants began moving in^[5] and the development was completed on September 30, 1954^[6] under the Taft-Ellender-Wagner Housing Act of 1949. When the houses initially began seeking applicants, World War II veterans received priority.^[4]

From 1947 to 1953, the playground at the St. Nicholas Houses on 128th Street and Seventh Avenue was the site of the Ruckers tournament until it was moved to a larger playground on 130th Street in 1954.^[7] While at the playground, Holcombe Rucker developed the tournament into five divisions: girls, junior high school, high school, college and pro.^[8]

By the mid-1970s, violence had risen in the development and security had decreased along with repairs.^[9]

In 2011, NYCHA approved the sale of 3.1 acres for the demolition of a playground on the site for the construction of a charter school called Promise Academy Charter School. Residents planned to sue the city and federal governments over the green space demolition, challenging that NYCHA failed to properly assess the school's impact on the development.^[10] Residents also felt that they were not informed of the plan until after the deal was completed.^[11] The school was designed by John Ciardullo Associates and completed in 2013.^[12]

In books[]

The St. Nicholas Houses is one of the main settings in the book The Stars Beneath Our Feet.^[13]

Notable residents[]

Teddy Riley (born 1967), singer, songwriter, record producer credited with the creation of the new jack swing genre

References[]

^ "St. Nicholas Houses Population".
^ "St. Nicholas Houses Area". Retrieved November 7, 2019.
^ "Saint Nicholas Houses, New York City". March 18, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ ^a ^b "CORNERSTONE LAID AT HARLEM HOUSING". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ "Housing Project Is Opened". The New York Times. April 3, 1952. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ "MyNYCHA Developments Portal". my.nycha.info. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ Mallozzi, Vincent M. (June 17, 2003). Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker Tournament. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780385506762.
^ Harvin, Al (July 4, 1971). "On a Harlem Playground: It's Basketball With Soul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ "At Harlem Project, Tenants Switch Leaders in Fight Against Crime and Faulty Maintenance of Housing". The New York Times. February 22, 1977. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ Santos, Fernanda (July 20, 2011). "Public-Housing Tenants Sue to Block Charter School in Harlem". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ Zelon, Helen (May 7, 2010). "Some Harlem Residents Balk At Charter School Plan". City Limits. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ "Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Charter School (Promise Academy I)". architectmagazine.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
^ The Stars Beneath Our Feet Summary.

[1]

This article about a building or structure in Manhattan is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] "St. Nicholas Houses Population".

[2] "St. Nicholas Houses Area". Retrieved November 7, 2019.

[3] "Saint Nicholas Houses, New York City". March 18, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[:0-4] "CORNERSTONE LAID AT HARLEM HOUSING". The New York Times. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[5] "Housing Project Is Opened". The New York Times. April 3, 1952. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[6] "MyNYCHA Developments Portal". my.nycha.info. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[7] Mallozzi, Vincent M. (June 17, 2003). Asphalt Gods: An Oral History of the Rucker Tournament. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 9780385506762.

[8] Harvin, Al (July 4, 1971). "On a Harlem Playground: It's Basketball With Soul". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[9] "At Harlem Project, Tenants Switch Leaders in Fight Against Crime and Faulty Maintenance of Housing". The New York Times. February 22, 1977. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[10] Santos, Fernanda (July 20, 2011). "Public-Housing Tenants Sue to Block Charter School in Harlem". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[11] Zelon, Helen (May 7, 2010). "Some Harlem Residents Balk At Charter School Plan". City Limits. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[12] "Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Charter School (Promise Academy I)". architectmagazine.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.

[13] The Stars Beneath Our Feet Summary.

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v t Harlem
Manhattan, New York City
Main topics	Crime Demographics Education History Harlem Renaissance List of films List of neighborhoods List of people
Subsections	East Harlem Hamilton Heights Italian Harlem Le Petit Senegal Manhattanville Sugar Hill
Designated landmarks	369th Regiment Armory Abyssinian Baptist Church Apollo Theater Astor Row Central Park Harlem Meer Lasker Rink North Woods Dunbar Apartments Graham Court Hamilton Grange National Memorial Harlem River Houses Harlem YMCA Hotel Theresa Langston Hughes House Macombs Dam Bridge Manhattan Avenue–West 120th–123rd Streets Historic District Metropolitan Baptist Church Minton's Playhouse Morningside Park Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Mount Morris Park Historic District NYPL 115th Street Library NYPL Schomburg Library St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church St. Andrew's Church St. Nicholas Historic District Wadleigh High School for Girls Washington Apartments
Other points of interest	Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building All Saints Church ATLAH World Missionary Church Bushman Steps Cotton Club Duke Ellington Circle Frederick Douglass Circle Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts Harlem Children's Zone Harlem Hospital Center The Harlem School of the Arts Lenox Lounge Marcus Garvey Park Harlem Fire Watchtower Morningside Park National Black Theatre New York College of Podiatric Medicine Rucker Park Savoy Ballroom St. Nicholas Houses Studio Museum in Harlem Sylvia's Soul Food
See also: Manhattan Community Boards: 9, 10, 11

St. Nicholas Houses

Contents

Development[]

In books[]

Notable residents[]

See also[]

References[]