1199 Plaza

The 1199 Plaza is a housing project in East Harlem.

Located on First Avenue, on the western bank of the East River, the 1199 Plaza consists of four 31-story towers, joined by mid-rise units which extend toward the riverbank. 1199 Plaza opened in 1974, as a low-to-middle income housing project.

The 1199 Plaza traces its origin to the 1199 union, which consisted mainly of female lower-income hospital workers. The 1199 union members wanted housing that was safe, affordable, and socially inclusive. Hodne/Stageberg Partners, Inc served as the architects of the project, while Ruberoid supplied building materials.

In the 1990s, the 1199 Plaza began offering housing for non-HUD applicants. A new title, East River Landing, was adopted. The 1199 Plaza has thus become a hybrid project, housing both middle-income and higher-income applicants, in addition to poorer residents.

The 1199 Plaza has been described as a "city within a city", owing to its sheer scale and unique design.

Background
The 1199 Plaza traces its roots to organizing led by the 1199 union, a hospital worker's union that consisted primarily of women of color. Housing was a top priority for 1199 union members, who wanted to integrate in to an existing community rather than to develop exclusionary housing for union members only. The union's leader, Leon J. Davis had initially planned to integrate the 1199 union members in to a predominantly White, middle-class neighborhood, but by the time funding had been secured for the project, the increasingly non-White, working-class East Harlem neighborhood had been selected.

Development
In 1963, the Ruberoid company sponsored a competition for the design of a subsidized housing project along an uninhabited strip of the East River. The project was envisioned by architect Thomas Hodne, the New York City Hall, and the Local 1199 union. The housing project model was still considered a viable path to revitalization in the 1960s.

At the outset, the project would consist of densely situated six story buildings with an open street grid. However, the project's sponsor rejected this plan. Many members of the Local 1199 Union already lived in such housing, and felt that it lacked sunlight, security, and views of the East River enjoyed by middle-class and luxury high-rise housing.

In 1968, a new hybrid plan was agreed upon by the architects and the union. The project would consist of four towers, each 32 stories tall, with 1,594 housing units. These structures would be joined by mid-rise units with a stepped-slope construction which extended toward the riverbank, giving the complexes a distinctive "U"-shape. The development would include storefronts, health and daycare centers, a meeting hall, a gym, and a pool. Excellent views of the river, as well as abundant sunlight, were afforded by the design of this complex.

Funding for the 1199 Plaza came primarily from the New York State Mitchell-Lama Housing Program, however, federal and local funds were also acquired. Women played an outsized role in the project's development. It took four years to construct at a cost of $80 million.

The total area of the 1199 Plaza complex is 12 acres.

Completion


The 1199 Plaza was completed in 1974. At that time, monthly rent was $145 per month for two rooms. The maximum income allowed for single tenants was $9,736, and $20,000 for two adults with children.

At the time, 1199 Plaza was louded for its quality. Room sizes were described as "ample", in contrast to other examples of high-density public housing. The high-rise buildings had small apartments, while the mid-rise buildings had larger apartments, for families.

In 1976, the 1199 Plaza received the Albert S. Bard Award for architecture.

Despite the ambitious nature of the project, the 1199 Plaza did not revitalize East Harlem. Nevertheless, Richard Plunz described the 1199 Plaza as "exceptionally successful". In the 1980s, crime in the area had risen by 41%, and by the year 1993, the 1199 Plaza was as stigmatized as any other housing project in East Harlem. Yet by the mid-1990s, crime had fallen, identically, by 41%. Michael Shapiro wrote that by the 1990s, the 1199 Plaza had cleaned up its image, and began offering apartments to higher-income renters, signifying its new hybrid status as an apartment complex for low, middle and high income residents.

As late as the 2010s, many of the earliest tenants of the 1199 Plaza still resided there.