Christodora House is a historic building located at 143 Avenue B in the East Village/

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neighborhoods of

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. It was designed by architect Henry C. Pelton (architect of

Riverside Church Riverside Church is an interdenominational church in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on the block bounded by Riverside Drive, Claremont Avenue, 120th Street and 122nd Street near Columbia University's Mornin ...

) in the American Perpendicular Style and constructed in 1928 as a

settlement house The settlement movement was a reformist social movement that began in the 1880s and peaked around the 1920s in United Kingdom and the United States. Its goal was to bring the rich and the poor of society together in both physical proximity and s ...

for low-income and immigrant residents, providing food, shelter, and educational and health services.

Description

The building, as originally conceived, included a gym, swimming pool, music school and theater. It was financed by Mr and Mrs Arthur Curtiss James, at a cost of over $1 million. Initially the 16 stories of the building housed a music school, a pool and gymnasium, a library, clubhouses, workshops, offices, and two kitchens. These spaces were on the lower five floors of the building, and open to the public and settlement members. One floor housed the settlement workers, and the top nine floors were rented out as residences to provide income for the work of the settlement. The opening of the building was an event, widely covered in the newspapers of the day. The building, particularly its height and style, were intended to be seen as symbolic and inspiring: towering, modern, up to date, airy, clean and fireproof, its character representing the best in the character of the neighborhood. Today, the building hosts a diverse group of residences. Many are groups or organizations active in the community, such as The East Village Community Coalition, which has an office in the building. Though they were operational at one point, the swimming pool and gymnasium can no longer be used. Zoning for these facilities stipulated "community access," and the facilities cannot be modified to provide the disabled access mandated by law.

History

:The difficulties operating a settlement community and a "residential" community created complications for the Christodora Board of Managers. These financial burdens, coupled with the expansion of public housing, led the building to be sold via condemnation to the City of New York in 1948 for $1.6 million. The city planned to house delinquent boys in the building, operated by the Department of Welfare. However, for reasons which remain unclear the building remained empty or underutilized through 1956. In the mid-1960s, a variety of unsanctioned community activities took place in the lower floors of the buildings. This led to a police raid and closure in 1969, despite which use of the space appears to have continued. Stories from this period include that the national headquarters of the Black Panthers was housed in the building, and that it was used as the setting for several pornographic films. The city sold the property for $62,500 in 1975. By 1986 the building had been sold numerous times, and finally began to be converted into condominiums. For many area residents, this was the first sign of

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...

. On March 20, 1986, Christodora House was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. The August 7, 1988 Tompkins Square Park Riot, provoked partially by the area's gentrification, spilled over into Christodora House. Rioters chanted "Die Yuppie Scum" in reference to the supposed "yuppie scum" residents of the building. The front doors were smashed and rioters ransacked the lobby of the building.

Notable residents

Famous past or present residents include

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Freedy Johnston Freedy Johnston (born Frederic John Fatzer in 1961) is a New York City–based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas. Johnston's songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation, and disappointm ...

Marisa Monte Marisa de Azevedo Monte (Brazilian Portuguese: /maˈɾizɐ dʒi azeˈvedu ˈmõtʃi/) (born 1 July 1967) is a Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist, and producer of Brazilian popular music and samba. As of 2011, she had sold 10 milli ...

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, Andres Levin, Joe Dietrich,

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, and

Michael Rosen Michael Wayne Rosen (born 7 May 1946) is a British children's author, poet, presenter, political columnist, broadcaster and activist who has written 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from 2007 to 2009. Early life Michael Wayne Ro ...

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manager Brian Kim owned and lived in an apartment at Christodora House. He was indicted and arrested in 2009, and accused of stealing $435,000 from the Christodora House condo association in 2008. He fled to Hong Kong in 2011, but was apprehended there and sent back to the US. In 2012 he admitted to the theft.

Description

History

Notable residents

See also

References

Further reading