Knickerbocker Village
Encyclopedia
Knickerbocker Village Limited is a lower-middle class housing development located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan
in New York City
.
, taking up two whole city blocks and bounded by Catherine Street, Monroe Street, Market Street and Cherry Street. Although the location is generally considered to fall in the Lower East Side, it has come to be thought of as part of Chinatown in recent years. It is located a short distance from New York City Hall
, the Civic Center
Areas and the South Street Seaport
.
The complex is actually situated between the Manhattan Bridge
and Brooklyn Bridge
, a neighborhood, which is sometimes referred to as "Two Bridges". It is located a short distance from the now defunct New York Post
distribution plant located at 210 South Street.
(RFC), which Congress
authorized to extend loans to private developers for the construction of low-income housing in slum areas. 98% of the money from the project went to the Knickerbocker Village, and offered 1,573 small apartments primarily to small middle-income families.
The RFC had two contradictory purposes. On the one hand, it was supposed to help revive the construction industry; on the other hand, it was supposed to increase the supply of low-income housing in New York. The first goal won out. Eighty-two percent of the slum families who initially moved into the apartments were soon forced to move back to the slums they had left because of the escalating rents charged by the owners.
When the United States Congress
authorized the RFC
to make loans on slum clearance projects, Realtor French picked out the worst block in his holdings and ecstatically presented it to Mr. Jones as a worthy subject for clearance. His choice was "Lung Block," so called because of its high tuberculosis mortality rate. On it lived 650 families. On this fester Mr. French proposed to build a low-cost housing project. Mr. Jones agreed to do business, and RFC lent 85% of the required $9,000,000. Average cost of "Lung Block" to Knickerbocker Village was high: $3,116,000, or $14 per square foot. The tax assessment was therefore reduced by two-thirds to bring the monthly room rental down to the $12.50 stipulated by the RFC. Because the average rental on "Lung Block" had been about $5 a room, Knickerbocker Village remained a low-cost housing project only in the minds of the white collar workers, who proceeded to fill it. There was a cooperatively run Nursery School started by young mothers and wives of returning World War II Veterans.
After fifty years, Fred F. French sold the complex to a new ownership in the 1970s that has now managed the complex for nearly thirty years. Over the last fifteen years, the complex underwent extensive renovation and rejuvenation. Almost fifteen million dollars were spent on new windows, new building entrance ways and foyers and waterproofing. The building also has a horticulturist who maintains the extensive gardens in the courtyard located in the center of the building and around the grounds. The complex also offers the "Hamilton Madison House Knickerbocker Village Senior Service Naturally Occurring Retirement Community" (NORC) that offers services and activities for the building's increasing elderly population.
Currently, the tenants are in the midst of a legal battle, as the landlord/corporation attempts to end the middle income protections under Article IV, in place since the complex was built. The landlord/corporation instead urges rent stabilization, which does not offer the same protections or the same promise of sustainment over a long period of time. The landlord/corporation also seeks to raise rents despite $5 million that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
—the state post-9/11 rebuilding agency—granted to the owner last year to keep rents low. This matter has been appealed.
.
The opera star, Judith Raskin
and Mark Toby, author of the autobiographical novel The Courtship of Eddie's Father, were residents of Knickerbocker Village in the 1950s.
Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
and later executed, lived on the eleventh floor.
Lower East Side, Manhattan
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....
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Location
The complex consists of twelve 13-story brick buildings surrounding two courtyards at 10-12-14-16-18-20 Monroe Street and 30-32-34-36-38-40 Monroe Street on the Lower East SideLower East Side, Manhattan
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....
, taking up two whole city blocks and bounded by Catherine Street, Monroe Street, Market Street and Cherry Street. Although the location is generally considered to fall in the Lower East Side, it has come to be thought of as part of Chinatown in recent years. It is located a short distance from New York City Hall
New York City Hall
New York City Hall is located at the center of City Hall Park in the Civic Center area of Lower Manhattan, New York City, USA, between Broadway, Park Row, and Chambers Street. The building is the oldest City Hall in the United States that still houses its original governmental functions, such as...
, the Civic Center
Civic Center, Manhattan
Civic Center is a neighborhood in downtown Manhattan covering the area around New York City Hall. It is bounded on the west by Broadway, on the north by Chinatown, on the east by the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge, and on the south by the Financial District.As in other civic centers, it is the...
Areas and the South Street Seaport
South Street Seaport
The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is a designated historic district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District...
.
The complex is actually situated between the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
and Brooklyn Bridge
Brooklyn Bridge
The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River...
, a neighborhood, which is sometimes referred to as "Two Bridges". It is located a short distance from the now defunct New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
distribution plant located at 210 South Street.
History
The flamboyant real estate developer Frederick Fillmore French began construction of Knickerbocker Village in 1933 and completed it in 1934. Knickerbocker Village was the first apartment development in New York City to receive federal funding (and in fact the first such housing development in the country), having been completed as a project of the Reconstruction Finance CorporationReconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was an independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. It was modeled after the War Finance Corporation...
(RFC), which Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized to extend loans to private developers for the construction of low-income housing in slum areas. 98% of the money from the project went to the Knickerbocker Village, and offered 1,573 small apartments primarily to small middle-income families.
The RFC had two contradictory purposes. On the one hand, it was supposed to help revive the construction industry; on the other hand, it was supposed to increase the supply of low-income housing in New York. The first goal won out. Eighty-two percent of the slum families who initially moved into the apartments were soon forced to move back to the slums they had left because of the escalating rents charged by the owners.
When the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
authorized the RFC
Reconstruction Finance Corporation
The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was an independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover. It was modeled after the War Finance Corporation...
to make loans on slum clearance projects, Realtor French picked out the worst block in his holdings and ecstatically presented it to Mr. Jones as a worthy subject for clearance. His choice was "Lung Block," so called because of its high tuberculosis mortality rate. On it lived 650 families. On this fester Mr. French proposed to build a low-cost housing project. Mr. Jones agreed to do business, and RFC lent 85% of the required $9,000,000. Average cost of "Lung Block" to Knickerbocker Village was high: $3,116,000, or $14 per square foot. The tax assessment was therefore reduced by two-thirds to bring the monthly room rental down to the $12.50 stipulated by the RFC. Because the average rental on "Lung Block" had been about $5 a room, Knickerbocker Village remained a low-cost housing project only in the minds of the white collar workers, who proceeded to fill it. There was a cooperatively run Nursery School started by young mothers and wives of returning World War II Veterans.
After fifty years, Fred F. French sold the complex to a new ownership in the 1970s that has now managed the complex for nearly thirty years. Over the last fifteen years, the complex underwent extensive renovation and rejuvenation. Almost fifteen million dollars were spent on new windows, new building entrance ways and foyers and waterproofing. The building also has a horticulturist who maintains the extensive gardens in the courtyard located in the center of the building and around the grounds. The complex also offers the "Hamilton Madison House Knickerbocker Village Senior Service Naturally Occurring Retirement Community" (NORC) that offers services and activities for the building's increasing elderly population.
Currently, the tenants are in the midst of a legal battle, as the landlord/corporation attempts to end the middle income protections under Article IV, in place since the complex was built. The landlord/corporation instead urges rent stabilization, which does not offer the same protections or the same promise of sustainment over a long period of time. The landlord/corporation also seeks to raise rents despite $5 million that the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
Lower Manhattan Development Corporation
The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation was formed in July 2002, after the September 11 attacks to plan the reconstruction of Lower Manhattan and distribute nearly $10 billion in federal funds aimed at rebuilding downtown Manhattan....
—the state post-9/11 rebuilding agency—granted to the owner last year to keep rents low. This matter has been appealed.
Notable residents
Knickerbocker Village was home to a very diverse group of tenants that included civil servants, small business owners with stores on nearby Orchard or Hester Streets; and others who were lucky enough to get an apartment there during the housing shortage that followed World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The opera star, Judith Raskin
Judith Raskin
Judith Raskin was an American lyric soprano, renowned for her fine voice as well as her acting.Raskin was born in New York to Harry A. Raskin, a high school music teacher, and Lillian Raskin, a grade school teacher. Her father aroused her childhood interest in music, leading her to study violin...
and Mark Toby, author of the autobiographical novel The Courtship of Eddie's Father, were residents of Knickerbocker Village in the 1950s.
Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and later executed, lived on the eleventh floor.
Further reading
- City Politics: The Political Economy of Urban America' by Dennis R. Judd and Todd Swanstrom, Edition 6
- A History of Housing in New York City by Richard Plunz