Queensbridge Houses as seen from the Queensboro Bridge.

Queensbridge Houses is the largest public housing development in the United States. It is located in Long Island City in Queens, and 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. The complex is located in Community Board 1. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. ... 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. ... Industrial Long Island City, Manhattan Skyline behind. ... Queens County, often referred to as simply Queens, is the largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is home to New York Citys two major airports (John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), the New York Mets baseball team, the USTA National Tennis Center, Silvercup... 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. ... NYCHA, Sheepshead Houses The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides housing for low and moderate income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. ... The Queens Community Board 1 is a local governement unit of the city of New York, encompassing the neighborhoods of Astoria, Old Astoria, Long Island City, Queensbridge, Ditmars, Ravenswood, Steinway, Garden Bay, and Woodside, in the borough of Queens. ...

Location

Long Island City is located in the southwestern part of the New York City 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'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. New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The Five Boroughs redirects here. ... KeySpan Corporation is the fifth largest distributor of natural gas in the United States and the largest in the Northeast region of the country. ... The Queensboro Bridge, also known as the 59th Street Bridge, is a cantilever bridge over the East River in New York City. ...

Subway commuters will recognize the complex's name from its 21st Street–Queensbridge station along the IND 63rd Street Line (F). The entrance to the station is on the eastern side of the complex on 21st Street. 21st Street–Queensbridge is a station on the IND 63rd Street Line of the New York City Subway. ... The IND 63rd Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND division of the New York City Subway system. ... The F Sixth Avenue Local and V Sixth Avenue Local are two services of the New York City Subway. ...

Buildings

The 96 unit six-story buildings are distinctive due to their shape - two Y's connecting at the base. 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 deterioration 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 indicating 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 buildings 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. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

During the 1950s, the management changed the racial balance of Queensbridge by transferring all families whose income was more than $3,000/year, a majority of whom were Caucasian, to middle-income housing projects, and replacing most of these tenants with African American and Latino families. While this policy provided safe and sanitary housing to many low income African American and Latino families, it also resulted in racially motivated conflict between their children. By the 1960s, the project was a dream of rich diversity and all the consequences such brings. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... // The term Latino is a linguistic identity that refers to an individual that has significant ancestry from a nation-state where a Latin derived language is spoken or is the offical language of the government. ...

Amenities and parks

As a result of the 1937 Wagner Act, 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 Scout and Boy Scout meetings. Residents enjoyed concerts during the hot summer months in the square central shopping area, and the Fresh Air Fund sent under-privileged youth out to the Peakskill mountain's to release them from the crime and grit plagued streets. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States based on the Scouting principles developed by Robert Baden-Powell. ... It has been suggested that Baiting Hollow Scout Camp be merged into this article or section. ...

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. A view of the playing field at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. ... Little League Baseball - Logo Little League pitcher in Winesburg, Ohio Little League, Wayne, Michigan Little League Baseball is the name of a non-profit organization in the United States which organizes local childrens leagues of baseball and softball throughout the USA and the rest of the world. ...

During the 1950s and up through 1970 Queensbridge Park was called "Riverside Park," after the East River that runs next to it. There was also a smaller park placed conveniently right under the 59th street bridge called "Baby Park". Baby Park was closed due to debris falling from the bridge during maintenance work which is ongoing in 2007. Baby Park was replaced by a new playground for same age range between 40-41 Avenues within Queensbridge Park itself. New York City waterways: 1. ...

Music

For more details on this topic, see Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest.

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. Marley Marl, MC Shan, Roxanne Shanté, Nas, Jae Supreme (Gatekeepers - Top 20 Videos) Blaq Poet & DJ Hot Day (PHD), SwerveG, Craig G, The Bravehearts, Mobb Deep (Prodigy & Havoc), Cormega, A.C.D., Vital, Nature, Big Noyd, Blitz (rapper), Tragedy Khadafi, Lakey The Kid, Imam Thug and Capone, Millenium Thug AKA Nashawn as well as others, all resided in the Queensbridge Housing Projects. In regards to the Queensbridge music scene, an XXL columnist wrote: "Since the 1980s, New York City’s Queensbridge Housing Projects has been documented perhaps better than any other geographic location. Starting with super producer Marley Marl’s dominant Juice Crew in the ’80s all the way through ’90s mainstays like Nas, Cormega and Capone, the Bridge has produced the highest per-capita talent of any ’hood." 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. ... Hip-Hop music is a style of popular music. ... {{Infobox musical artist 2 |Name = John Dixon |Img = JohnDixon. ... List of hip hop musicians is broken down into several smaller lists and categories: // Beatboxers DJs and producers Turntablists Groups Rappers Christian (rappers | groups) Fictional Singers Albanian (groups) American (rappers | groups) Angolan (groups) Australian (rappers | groups | Crews) Austrian Belgian (groups) Bosnian and Herzegovinan (rappers | groups) Brazilian (rappers | groups) British (rappers... {{Infobox musical artist 2 |Name = John Dixon |Img = JohnDixon. ... Shawn Moltke is an American rapper who uses the stage name MC Shan. ... Roxanne Shanté (born Lolita Shanté Gooden on November 9, 1969) is an American rap pioneer. ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Screwball is an underground hip-hop group that hails from Queensbridge, New York. ... Craig G Performing Live Craig G (born Craig Morgan) is a hip-hop MC who hails from the Queens Bridge district in New York, USA. Craig is best known as one of the original members of legendary hip hop producer Marly Marls Cold Chillin Records group the Juice Crew... The Bravehearts are an East Coast hip hop group from the Queensbridge housing projects in New York City. ... Mobb Deep are a hip hop duo which consists of rappers Havoc and Prodigy. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the artist. ... Cory McKay (April 27, 1973), better known as Cormega, is an American rapper noted for his street topics and style representative of Queensbridge. ... Nature (born Jermaine Baxter) is an American rapper, best known for his association with fellow Queensbridge associate Nas. ... Big Noyd (born TaJuan Perry on May 7, 1975) is a rapper from Queensbridge, New York City. ... Tragedy Khadafi (born Percy Chapman) is a black hip-hop artist. ... Lakey the Kid or Lake is a rapper from Queensbridge, New York. ... Kiam Akasi Holley (born February 2, 1976), better known as Capone, is a rapper from Queensbridge, NY. He is best known for being half of the QB duo Capone-N-Noreaga also known as C-N-N. He spent some time in jail after the release of C-N-N... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Other Notable Queensbridge Residents

Other notable former residents of Queensbridge include the following:

• Ron Artest—player for the NBA team Sacramento Kings
• Music insiders Sean Jones (Def Jam) and Biz (Street Promoter)

Ronald (Ron) William Artest Jr. ... “NBA” redirects here. ... The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team which is based in Sacramento, California. ... Def Jam Recordings is an American based hip-hop record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Music Group. ...

External links

• Queensbridge Houses Web site

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, August 5, 2001.
• New York City Housing Authority, “Factsheet”, April 19, 2004. [1]
• Ron Artest: The Next MC Outta Queensbridge?
• 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: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000), pp. 102-120.

v • d • e Neighborhoods in the New York City Borough of Queens
Arverne • Astoria • Astoria Heights • Auburndale • Bay Terrace • Bayside • Bayswater • Beechhurst • Belle Harbor • Bellerose • Breezy Point • Briarwood • Broad Channel • Cambria Heights • College Point • Corona • Douglaston • East Elmhurst • Edgemere • Electchester • Elmhurst • Far Rockaway • Floral Park • Flushing • Forest Hills • Forest Hills Gardens • Fresh Meadows • Glendale • Glen Oaks • Hamilton Beach • Hammels • Hillcrest • Hollis • Hollis Hills • Howard Beach • Howard Park • Hunters Point • Jackson Heights • Jamaica • Jamaica Estates • Jamaica Hills • Kew Gardens • Kew Gardens Hills • Laurelton • LeFrak City • Lindenwood • Little Neck • Locust Manor • Long Island City • Malba • Maspeth • Middle Village • Murray Hill • Neponsit • Old Howard Beach • Ozone Park • Pomonok • Queensbridge • Queens Village • Ramblersville • Ravenswood • Rego Park • Richmond Hill • Ridgewood • Rochdale • Rockaway • Rockaway Beach • Rockaway Park • Rockwood Park • Rosedale • St. Albans • South Jamaica • South Ozone Park • Springfield Gardens • Sunnyside • Sunnyside Gardens • Utopia • Whitestone • Willets Point • Woodhaven • Woodside Newsday is a daily tabloid-size newspaper that primarily serves Long Island and the New York City borough of Queens, although it is sold throughout the New York City metropolitan area. ... is the 217th day of the year (218th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... NYCHA, Sheepshead Houses The New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) provides housing for low and moderate income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. ... April 19 is the 109th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (110th in leap years). ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This is a list of neighborhoods in Queens, one of five boroughs of New York City. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The Five Boroughs redirects here. ... Queens County, often referred to as simply Queens, is the largest in area of the five boroughs of New York City, USA. It is home to New York Citys two major airports (John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia), the New York Mets baseball team, the USTA National Tennis Center, Silvercup... Arverne is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, on the Rockaway Peninsula. ... Aerial view of the Triborough Bridge (left) and the Hell Gate Bridge (right) spanning Astoria Park and the Astoria Pool Astoria is a neighborhood in the northwestern corner of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Astoria Heights is a district in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Auburndale is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens. ... Bay Terrace is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens, and is often considered part of Bayside. ... A typical residential street in Bayside. ... Bayswater is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, on the Rockaway Peninsula. ... Beechhurst is a neighborhood in the northern part of the New York City borough of Queens, and is often considered part of Whitestone. ... Belle Harbor is a neighborhood in southern portion of the New York City borough of Queens 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 (Zip Code 11411) is a middle class neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. ... College Point is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Corona, Queens, (zip code 11368) is a neighborhood in the former Township of Flushing in the New York City borough of Queens surrounded by Flushing, Jackson Heights, and Elmhurst. ... Douglaston, population 14,168 (2000 Census), is a community in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Astoria Boulevard in East Elmhurst, Queens NY East Elmhurst is a culturally diverse area in New York City, in the northwest of the borough of Queens. ... Edgemere is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, on the Rockaway Peninsula. ... Electchester was a cooperative housing unit started by Harry Van Arsdale, Jr. ... Queens Boulvard in Elmhurst, Queens NY. Macys and Queens Center Mall can be seen in the background. ... Far Rockaway street scene Far Rockaway is one of the four neighborhoods on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens in the United States. ... Floral Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Several landmarks from two New York Worlds Fairs still stand in Flushing Meadows, including the US Steel Unisphere Flushing is a neighborhood within the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Forest Hills Gardens is a housing development in the neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens (in New York City). ... Fresh Meadows is a neighborhood in northeastern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City, which is bordered to the east by Francis Lewis Boulevard, to the south by Union Turnpike, to the north by Kissena Park, and to the west by Utopia Parkway and Fresh Meadow Lane. ... Glendale is a neighborhood near the geographic center of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Glen Oaks is a neighborhood in the easternmost portion of the New York City Borough of Queens. ... 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. ... Hammels is a section of Rockaway Beach on the Rockaway Peninsula in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Union Turnpike in Hillcrest, Queens NY. Hillcrest is a small residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Hollis is a neighborhood within the southeastern section of the New York City borough of Queens. ... Hollis Hills is an neighborhood in the north-east section of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Howard Beach is a neighborhood in the southwestern portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Howard Park is neighborhood in Howard Beach, in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Hunters Point is a neighborhood in Long Island City, New York. ... A typical residential street in Jackson Heights. ... Jamaica Estates World War II Memorial Jamaica Estates is a wealthy neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... 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. ... Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Laurelton is an African American neighborhood in Queens, New York, USA. A stop on the Long Island railroad -- all of Queens, New York, is actually located on Long Island -- Laurelton was named for the laurels that grew there over 100 years ago. ... LeFrak City is a large housing development in the Corona neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, built in the mid-1960s for working and middle-class families and located on the north side of the Long Island Expressway. ... 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. ... Locust Manor is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, USA. It is an African American and Afro-Caribean neighborhood. ... Industrial Long Island City, Manhattan Skyline behind. ... Malba is neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Maspeth is a small community in the borough of Queens in New York City. ... Metropolitan Avenue, and Metro Mall, in Middle Village, Queens NY Middle Village is a neighborhood in central Queens, a borough of New York City. ... Murray Hill is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Aerial view of Neponsit near Jacob Riis Park Neponsit is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Old Howard Beach is a section of Howard Beach, in the New York City borough of Queens, that lies between Shellbank Basin and Hawtree Creek. ... Ozone Park is a New York City neighborhood located in the southwestern part of the borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, Howard Beach, and the borough of Brooklyn, about 8 miles east, southeast of Midtown Manhattan. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ... Queens Village, Queens is a middle-income neighborhood that is becoming more racially mixed as immigrants from the West Indies settle here. ... 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. ... Ravenswood is the name for the strip of land bordering the East River in Long Island City. ... Rego Park is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District runs from Wyckoff Avenue to Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood. ... Rochdale (also called Rochdale Village) is a residential cooperative built by architect Herman Jessor, consisting of five circles of four buildings (creating a sum of 20 buildings) located in South Jamaica, in the New York City borough of Queens. ... A Rockaway Peninsula street scene. ... 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. ... Rockaway Park is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... 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. ... South Jamaica, known colloquially as Southside, is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens, located south of downtown Jamaica, the Long Island Rail Road tracks and Liberty Avenue. ... South Ozone Park is a neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sunnyside is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. ... Sunnyside Gardens, in the Sunnyside neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens, was one of the first developments to incorporate the superblock model in the United States. ... Utopia, a neighborhood located in the New York City borough of Queens is bordered by Utopia Parkway to the west, 188th Street to the east, Union Turnpike to the south, and 73rd Avenue to the north. ... Whitestone is a neighborhood in north-central section of the borough of Queens in New York City, located between the East River to the 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 once known as Woodville, is home to a mix of middle to upper-class residents, mostly a middle-income neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ... Woodside is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. ...

Coordinates: 40°45′18.7″N, 73°56′43.2″W Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1412x1620, 1489 KB) The w:Unisphere, attributed to uribe/Uri Baruchin on w:Flickr (image reference) (image source) composed as a tile stitch-up; original image cropped File links The following pages link to this file: Queens Unisphere ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...