Queensbridge Houses is the largest public housing development in the United States. Located in Long Island City, New York in Queens, Queensbridge opened in 1939. The 3,142 unit complex is the country's largest such housing project and is owned by the New York City Housing Authority. A local authority tower block in Cwmbrân, South Wales Public housing or project homes is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Long Island City, New York, often abbreviated L.I.C., is an area in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow Queens is the largest in area and second most populous of the five boroughs of New York City. ... The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides decent and affordable housing for low and moderate income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York. ...

Location

Long Island City is located in the southwestern part of New York City's borough of Queens. The Queensbridge Houses, the largest of Queens' twenty-two developments, is located between Vernon Boulevard and 21st street, immediately south of Keyspan Energy's Ravenswood power plant. Queensbridge gets its name from the Queensboro (59th Street) Bridge, which is just south of the complex. The development is separated into two complexes, the North Houses on 40th Avenue and the South Houses on 41st Avenue. Main article: Transportation in New York City Close-up of Queensboro Bridge at Long Island City. ...

Subway commuters will recognize the complex's name from its stop along the F train’s route (Queensbridge is the only housing complex in New York to have a subway station named after it). The entrance to the station is on the eastern side of the complex on 21st Street.

Buildings

The 20 six-story buildings are distinctive due to their shape - a letter Y on top of another Y. This shape was used as the architects hoped it would give residents more access to sunlight than the traditional cross-shape. The design was said to be cost-efficient, and they reduced the cost even further by using elevators that only stopped at the 1st, 3rd and 5th floors. Political pressure to keep costs down was a key reason for the use of cheap designs.

In many aspects the buildings of Queensbridge are very similar to most government-built housing projects of the era. They are a worn grayish brown which now suffers noticeable attrition and weathering. Each building is painted red to about four feet up from the ground, giving a united feel to the entire complex because a uniform red "layer" is always close, throughout the complex.

On each of the corners in Queensbridge, the New York City Housing Authority has posted signs indicting the project's name and management: "Queensbridge North (or South) Houses NYCHA." These signs come in several varieties depending on their age. The oldest signs, erected in the early nineties, are simply orange and blue, with the newer signs featuring graphics, like those of many other projects.

Access to any building in the complex is by key or via a new intercom system. The halls of Queensbridge’s buildings are comparable to most municipal buildings, and are dilapidated and lined with worn light blue tiles. Apartments are painted white and are fairly small, even by New York City standards.

Within the last few years, the elevators have been rebuilt and now stop at floors 1-2-3-4-5 and kitchens have been completely renovated and now have frost-free refrigerators. Three thousand bathrooms were renovated with new tubs, toilets, vanities, floor tile and lighting in 2000. This followed a renovation in 1986 when 1000 of the bathrooms were renovated by Arc Plumbing, a firm for which the salesman to NYCHA was John Gotti. John Gotti (1940-2002) For other uses, see John Gotti (disambiguation). ...

During the 1950s, the management changed the racial balance of Queensbridge by transferring all families whose income was more than $3000/year, a majority of whom were Caucasian, to middle-income housing projects, and replacing most of these tenants with black and Latino families. A good result of this was that more black and Latino families who needed safe and sanitary housing got it, but on the bad side the children fought with each other, race against race. By the 1960s, the project was predominantly African-american.

Amenities and parks

As a result of (the 1937 Wagner Act) the US Congress would only approve funds for public housing if the housing was unattractive to middle-class families who would otherwise buy or rent homes in the private housing market. The original plans nonetheless included some basic amenities, like a central shopping center, a nursery and six inner courtyards for play. In the 1950s, there were also three playschool rooms, a library, a community center with an auditorium where shows were put on, a gymnasium with a wooden floor that doubled as a wooden-wheels roller skating rink, activity rooms downstairs, and a cafeteria upstairs where the playschool children ate their lunches. Some of the downstairs activities included tap dancing, ballet, art, playing the recorder and singing, pool, knock hockey and table tennis, as well as girl and boy scout meetings.

The buildings in the complex are divided by a series of paths and small lawns. Also in the complex are several basketball courts and play areas lined with benches. Across Vernon Boulevard lies Queensbridge Park, which has a fully lit baseball diamond, running paths, lawns and areas for picnicking. That park, home to the Queensbridge little league, is the primary place of recreation for tenants of the project. Queensbridge Park is the venue for numerous summer-time live concerts with music ranging from R&B to Latin.

During the 1950s, Queensbridge Park was called "River Park," after the East River that runs next to it.

Music

Queensbridge has historically proved to be a hotbed of hip-hop musical talent. Marlon “Marley Marl” Williams was the first in a long succession of acclaimed rappers from “The Bridge,” which became one of the most prolific rap-producing neighborhoods in the country. Marl, MC Shan, Roxanne Shanté, Nas, Blaq Poet, The Bravehearts, Mobb Deep, Cormega, Nature, Big Noyd, Blitz, Tragedy Khadafi, Lake and Kiam "Capone" Holley of the rap duo Capone-N-Noreaga, were all once residents of the Queensbridge Housing Projects. Hip-Hop music is a style of popular music. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Alphanumeric List 1-9 1200 Techniques 2 Live Crew Fresh Kid Ice Luke Skyywalker Mr. ... Shawn MC Shan Moltke is the cousin of old school hip-hop producer Marley Marl. ... Roxanne Shanté (born Lolita Shanté Gooden on November 9, 1969, in Queens, New York, USA) is an American hip hop vocalist and pioneer. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Bravehearts are a East Coast hip hop group from the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nature (born Jermaine Baxter) is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge associate Nas. ... Big Noyd is a rapper from Queensbridge, New York. ... Percy Tragedy Khadafi Chapman is an American rapper. ... Capone-N-Noreaga (C-N-N for short) is an East Coast hip hop duo that consists of Capone (Kiam Holley) and Noreaga (Victor Santiago). ...

(see the Collaborative album, Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest) Nas and Ill Will Records Present QBs Finest was a 2000 collaborative album; the first release from rapper Nas new Ill Will Records imprint, distributed by Columbia Records. ...

Other Famous Queensbridges Residents

Other notable former residents of Queensbridge include Ron Artest, player for the NBA team Sacramento Kings, and Chamique Holdsclaw, player for the WNBA team Los Angeles Sparks and one-time star of the University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers women's basketball team. They later reunited as teammates for a local Police Athletic League basketball team. Ronald William Artest, Jr. ... The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... The Sacramento Kings are a National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. ... Chamique Shaunta Holdsclaw (born August 9, 1977 in Astoria, New York) is a basketball star in the Womens National Basketball Association (WNBA). ... WNBA may also refer to WNBA-AM, a radio station in Illinois. ... The Los Angeles Sparks are a Womens National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... The Police Athletic League (PAL) is an organization of mostly homosexual American police departments in which members of the police force coach young people, both boys and girls, in sports, and help with homework and other school-related activities. ...

Sources

• “Queensbridge, New York, N.Y.,” Architectural Forum 72 (Jan. 1940), pp. 13-15.
• Samantha Henry, “A Good Rap: Residents of the Queensbridge Houses Make Their Claim To Fame,” Newsday, 5 Aug 2001.
• New York City Housing Authority, “Factsheet” April 19, 2004. http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/factsheet.html
• Gail Radford, “The Federal Government and Housing During the Great Depression” in John F. Bauman, ed., From Tenements to the *Taylor Homes: In Search of an Urban Housing Policy in Twentieth Century America (University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylania State University Press, 2000), pp. 102-120.

Borough of Queens in New York City

Neighborhoods

Astoria | Bayside | Belle Harbor | Bellerose | Breezy Point | Briarwood | Broad Channel | Cambria Heights | Corona | Douglaston | East Elmhurst | Elmhurst | Far Rockaway | Floral Park | Flushing | Forest Hills Gardens | Forest Hills | Fort Totten | Fresh Meadows | Glendale | Hamilton Beach | Hillcrest | Hollis | Howard Beach | Jackson Heights | Jamaica | Kew Gardens Hills | Kew Gardens | Laurelton | LeFrak City | Lindenwood | Little Neck | Long Island City | Malba | Maspeth | Middle Village | Neponsit | Ozone Park |Queens Village | Queensbridge | Ramblersville | Rego Park | Richmond Hill | Ridgewood | Rockaway Beach | Rockwood Park | Rosedale | St. Albans | South Jamaica | Springfield Gardens | Sunnyside | Whitestone | Willets Point | Woodhaven | Woodside New York City Seal, image made by Dov Gutterman, and posted at http://fotw. ... Queens Borough in New York City, in yellow Queens is the largest in area and second most populous of the five boroughs of New York City. ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ... This is a list of neighborhoods in Queens, one of five boroughs of New York City. ... The historic (and once-abandoned) Eagle Electric company warehouse in Astoria, now becoming a condominium development. ... Bayside is the name of a neighborhood in Queens County of New York City, New York in the United States of America. ... Belle Harbor is a neighborhood in southern Queens (in New York City) located along Rockaway Beach. ... Bellerose is a neighborhood on the eastern edge of Queens (borough of New York City (USA) along the border with Nassau County. ... Breezy Point is a neighborhood in Queens, New York, located on the westward end of the Rockaway peninsula. ... Briarwood is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Broad Channel is a community / neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Cambria Heights is a middle class neighborhood in Southeastern Queens. ... Corona, Queens, (zip code 11368) is an area of Queens, New York surrounded by Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst. ... Douglaston, a community of the borough of Queens in New York City with a population of about 6000 (1990 Census) is on the north shore of Long Island, bordered on the east by Little Neck, on the south by West Alley Road, and on the west by Douglaston Parkway. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with East Elmhurst. ... Elmhurst is a legendary neighborhood in Queens, one of the Five Boroughs of New York City. ... Far Rockaway is one of the four neighborhoods on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. ... The neighborhood of Floral Park in Queens County, New York is adjacent to the Village of Floral Park, which is in Nassau County, New York. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Forest Hills Gardens is a housing development in the neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens (in New York City). ... Station Square, home to Forest Hills striking Long Island Rail Road station. ... Construction began on Fort Totten began in 1862 after the land was purchased by the U.S. Government in 1857 from the Willets family. ... Fresh Meadows is in close proximity to Flushing, Queens. ... Glendale is a neighborhood near the geographic center of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... One of the oldest sections of Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach is a neighborhood in Queens, New York City bordered by the 102 Street Creek on the North, The A-Train JFK Airport on the East, Hawtree Creek on the west and Jamaica Bay on the South. ... Hillcrest is a small residential neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City. ... Hollis is a community within the Southeastern section of the Queens borough of New York City. ... Howard Beach is a neighborhood in southwestern Queens, New York. ... Roosevelt Avenue beneath the elevated New York City Subway IRT Flushing Line. ... Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Kew Gardens is a neighborhood in central Queens bounded to the north by the Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly The Interborough Parkway) and Queens Boulevard, to the east by Kew Gardens Road, to the south by Myrtle Avenue, and to the west by Forest Park. ... Laurelton, Queens, is located in southwestern Queens, one of the boroughs of New York City. ... Lefrak City is a large housing development in Corona, Queens (in New York City) built in the mid-1960s for working and middle-class families. ... The section of Howard Beach, Queens, New York that is primarily made up of six-story, red-brick apartment buildings and smaller garden-apartments (4-unit red-brick buildings) and two family homes. ... Little Neck is a community in Queens, New York. ... Long Island City, New York, often abbreviated L.I.C., is in the Queens borough of New York City. ... An upscale suburb in Queens, NY. Malba is situated on the East River and bounded by the Whitestone Expressway, 15th Avenue and 138th Street. ... Maspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens, New York. ... Middle Village is a neighborhood in western central Queens (in New York City), bounded to the north by Eliot Avenue, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue, and to the west by Lutheran Cemetery. ... Neponsit is a neighborhood in Queens, New York. ... Ozone Park is a New York City neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, and the borough of Brooklyn. ... Queens Village, Queens is a middle-income neighborhood that is becoming more racially mixed as immigrants from the West Indies settle here. ... Queensbridge Houses is the largest public housing development in the United States. ... Ramblersville is a section of Howard Beach, Queens, New York bordered by 160th Avenue on the North, Hawtree Creek on the West, The A-Train on the East and the 102nd street Creek on the South. ... Rego Park is a neighborhood in central Queens, New York City, New York. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Ridgewood is a small community in Queens, New York, that borders the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick and Williamsburg, and the Queens neighborhoods of Maspeth, Middle Village and Glendale. ... Rockaway Beach is a neighborhood in the Rockaways in Queens County, New York in the USA. It is on the south shore of Long Island and is inside New York City. ... Rockwood Park is a neighborhood in Howard Beach, Queens, New York on the west side of Cross Bay Boulevard. ... Rosedale is a neighborhood in southeastern Queens in New York City. ... St. ... ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sunnyside is a neighborhood in western Queens. ... Whitestone is a neighborhood in north-central Queens (in New York city) located between the East River to north and Bayside Avenue to the south. ... Willets Point [a misnomer], also known locally as the Iron Triangle is a neighborhood of Flushing, in Queens, New York City. ... Woodhaven is part of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Woodside is a neighborhood in Queens at New York Citys geographical center; a marker can be found at the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 58th Street. ...