Gompers Houses
Encyclopedia
Samuel Gompers Houses, also known as Gompers Houses, is a public housing development
built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA) on the Lower East Side
of Manhattan
at 40.7181°N 73.9819°W. The development is named after Samuel Gompers
(1850-1924), an Englishman who immigrated to the United States
in 1863, where he was a cigar maker, labor unionist, and workers' rights activist, who founded an organization that would eventually become the American Federation of Labor
. He was also the first president of the American Federation of Labor, serving from 1886 to 1924.
Gompers Houses is composed of two 20-story buildings with 474 apartments that house approximately 1,116 people. It is built on a 3.7 acre site bordered by Stanton Street
to the north, Columbia Street to the east, Delancey Street to the south, and Pitt Street to the west.
Gompers Houses was completed April 30, 1964. The development was designed by Lama, Proskauer, & Prober. The relatively high cost of land for the Gompers Houses development, $13 per square foot, forced the New York City Housing Authority to build twenty story towers rather than the preferred six story buildings. As with many of the housing projects built on the Lower East Side in the 1950s and 1960s, Gompers Houses is built in the "tower in the park
" style.
The development is consolidated with Rafael Hernandez Houses
, Lower East Side I Infill
, and Max Meltzer Tower.
Minerva Montez is the Resident Association President for Gompers Houses.
Public housing in the United States
Public housing in the United States has been administered by federal, state and local agencies to provide subsidized assistance for low-income and people living in poverty. Now increasingly provided in a variety of settings and formats, originally public housing in the U.S...
built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
(NYCHA) on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
at 40.7181°N 73.9819°W. The development is named after Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers
Samuel Gompers was an English-born American cigar maker who became a labor union leader and a key figure in American labor history. Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor , and served as that organization's president from 1886 to 1894 and from 1895 until his death in 1924...
(1850-1924), an Englishman who immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1863, where he was a cigar maker, labor unionist, and workers' rights activist, who founded an organization that would eventually become the American Federation of Labor
American Federation of Labor
The American Federation of Labor was one of the first federations of labor unions in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by an alliance of craft unions disaffected from the Knights of Labor, a national labor association. Samuel Gompers was elected president of the Federation at its...
. He was also the first president of the American Federation of Labor, serving from 1886 to 1924.
Gompers Houses is composed of two 20-story buildings with 474 apartments that house approximately 1,116 people. It is built on a 3.7 acre site bordered by Stanton Street
Stanton Street
Stanton Street is a west-to-east running street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the neighborhood of the Lower East Side. It begins at Bowery, one block south of Houston Street at the corner of the infamous Sunshine Motel...
to the north, Columbia Street to the east, Delancey Street to the south, and Pitt Street to the west.
Gompers Houses was completed April 30, 1964. The development was designed by Lama, Proskauer, & Prober. The relatively high cost of land for the Gompers Houses development, $13 per square foot, forced the New York City Housing Authority to build twenty story towers rather than the preferred six story buildings. As with many of the housing projects built on the Lower East Side in the 1950s and 1960s, Gompers Houses is built in the "tower in the park
Tower block
A tower block, high-rise, apartment tower, office tower, apartment block, or block of flats, is a tall building or structure used as a residential and/or office building...
" style.
The development is consolidated with Rafael Hernandez Houses
Hernandez Houses
Rafael Hernandez Houses, also known as Hernandez Houses, is a public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority on the Lower East Side of Manhattan at . The development is named after Rafael Hernández Marín , a Puerto Rican music composer who served in the...
, Lower East Side I Infill
Lower East Side I Infill
Lower East Side I Infill, or Lower East Side Infill #1, is a public housing development built and maintained by the New York City Housing Authority on the Lower East Side of Manhattan....
, and Max Meltzer Tower.
Minerva Montez is the Resident Association President for Gompers Houses.