Rutgers Houses, also known as Henry Rutgers Houses, is a
public housing development built and maintained by the
New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) on the
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets.
Traditionally an im ...
of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. Rutgers Houses is composed of five 20 story buildings on , with 721 apartments housing approximately 1,675 people.
The complex is bordered by
Madison Street to the north, Rutgers Street to the east,
Cherry Street to the south, and Pike Street to the west.
Development
Prior to its completion in 1965, the Rutgers Houses was one of the sites of a city-wide civil rights protests in 1963. Demonstrators attempted to block construction until African Americans and Latinos get more jobs in the building trades until several were taken into custody. While not in opposition to the protests, construction crews at the development site were reported to have said they were more integrated than most.
Designed by Hart, Jerman & Associates, the Rutgers Houses in 1961, the development was completed March 31, 1965.
Pelham Street, which ran between Pike Street and Rutgers Street, was taken off maps of the area about 1960 for the construction of the development.
The development is named after
Henry Rutgers (1745–1830), a captain in the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
and a major landowner and philanthropist who was the last descendant of
Dutch immigrants. Henry Rutgers' farm, the "Bouwery", made up most of the Lower East Side around
Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...
, and later gave large sections of his farm to churches and the development is on a part of the former farm site.
Michael Steele is serving as the Resident Association President for Rutgers Houses and as the Treasurer of the Manhattan South District Citywide Council of Presidents.
In the winter of 2007, Rutgers House V served as a "warming center", a warm place where people without heat can stay for short periods of time.
In 2010, the Rutgers Houses were one of eight developments to receive a portion of $400 million in funding from the federal to address capitol needs for repairs.
Notable residents
*
Elisa Izquierdo (1989 – 1995), Elisa's death was the inspiration for Elisa's Law, a major restructuring of the New York City Child Welfare System
See also
*
New York City Housing Authority
*
List of New York City Housing Authority properties
Buildings
Manhattan
Bronx
Brooklyn
Vanderveer Estates Apartments nka Flatbush Gardens, Tiffany Towers nka Tivoli Towers, Ebbets Field Apartments and Towers of Bay Ridge and Rutland Rd Houses in Brooklyn, all five includes rent, gas ...
References
{{Lower East Side
Residential buildings completed in 1965
Lower East Side
Public housing in Manhattan
Residential buildings in Manhattan