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Vladeck Houses — Full History

The Man Behind the Name: Baruch Charney Vladeck (1886–1938)

To understand Vladeck Houses, one must first understand the extraordinary man for whom it was named.

19 Baruch Charney Vladeck (1886–1938) was born in Russia and emerged as one of the leading figures of the U.S. Jewish socialist movement of the twentieth century. 21 Born in Dukor, near Minsk, Belorussia, Vladeck abandoned religious study in his teens in favor of political action. A lifelong socialist, he had been a revolutionary in Russia, but became a moderate in the United States. 21 Between 1904 and 1908, he agitated extensively for the Jewish Labor Bund and was imprisoned three times. He wrote Yiddish poetry and prose. In 1908, he immigrated to the United States, becoming city editor of the *Jewish Daily Forward* in 1916, and business manager of that newspaper from 1918. 18 He was a member of the New York City Board of Aldermen and later the New York City Council, serving as the first majority leader of that body from January to September 1938. He was also a co-founder of the American Labor Party, serving as its leader on the City Council during his tenure. 20 As majority leader of a labor-anti-Tammany coalition in the New York City Council in 1937, he initiated one of the first municipal slum-clearance projects in the country. 22 Vladeck was also at the forefront of establishing public housing for low-income residents, and in 1934 was named by Mayor LaGuardia to the New York City Housing Authority. In 1933, Vladeck laid the groundwork for the Jewish Labor Committee, which was formed by Jewish trade unionists, socialists, and kindred groups to oppose the rise of Nazism in Germany. The JLC had its founding convention the following February on New York’s Lower East Side; Vladeck was the organization’s president from the convention until his death. 18 Vladeck died at his home at 2 Horatio Street on October 30, 1938, at the age of 52 from a coronary thrombosis. His funeral procession through the Lower East Side and ending outside the *Forward* building drew 500,000 mourners — New York City’s second-largest funeral to date. Among the speakers at the service were Governor Herbert Lehman, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia, Senator Robert F. Wagner, and Socialist leader Norman Thomas.

Origins & The “Dry Dock District”

The site chosen for what would become Vladeck Houses had a long and difficult history. 5By the 1930s, industries had moved on, leaving the long-neglected “Dry Dock District” an unsightly amalgam of abandoned piers and crumbling tenements, where some of New York’s poorest families lived in hazardous, unsanitary conditions.

5 On February 4, 1938, U.S. Housing Authority Administrator Nathan Straus described the development of a “city within a city,” with designated playgrounds and public schools to “promote a better way of life,” stressing that the government was determined to “rehouse as many slum dwellers as possible in decent and healthful homes.” 5 Originally, the U.S. Housing Authority thought the price of the land on the Lower East Side was too high for investment, but NYCHA Chairman Alfred Rheinstein persisted and worked out an agreement which cemented a deal.

Construction & Completion (1939–1940)

1 Construction began September 10, 1939, and was finished November 20, 1940. 5 The development was named Vladeck City Houses after Baruch Charney Vladeck, the popular council member and labor leader who campaigned for the project but passed away before groundbreaking. On the public school auditorium stage, Mayor LaGuardia declared, “For Vladeck City Houses is not a monument of stone and mortar — it is a unity of families to whom a city is giving their birthright.”

Design, Architecture & Layout

7 Vladeck Houses was designed by the architectural firm of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon. 3 The height of typical NYCHA buildings grew substantially from the six-story formulas at Queensbridge and Vladeck Houses, making Vladeck Houses one of NYCHA’s early, more modestly scaled developments. 1 Baruch Charney Vladeck Houses is made up of 20 six-story buildings on 13 acres (5.3 ha), in which there are 1,523 apartments housing approximately 2,850 people. The complex is bordered by Madison Street to its north, Water Street to its south, Gouverneur Street to its west, and Jackson Street to its east.

In addition to the main complex, 1Baruch Charney Vladeck II Houses consists of 4 six-story buildings on 2.23 acres (0.90 ha), in which there are 238 apartments housing approximately 445 people.

Vladeck Park

4 One year after Vladeck’s death, Parks acquired jurisdiction over the property at the center of the Vladeck Houses complex, and it was named in Vladeck’s honor. Today, with benches along the outer edges of the mall and a playground in the center, Vladeck Park is both a memorial to the tireless efforts of one individual and a place of rest and relaxation for all.

Neighborhood Context: Two Bridges

7 The Alfred E. Smith Houses and Vladeck Houses are NYCHA developments in Two Bridges. This Manhattan neighborhood is situated alongside the East River between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, but is mostly cut off from the waterfront by hard infrastructure. This location leaves the neighborhood vulnerable to flooding during storms, made clear by Hurricanes Irene and Sandy. 7 Two Bridges underwent massive redevelopment in the mid-20th century, erasing most of the historic urban fabric and creating one of the densest clusters of towers-in-the-park development in the city.

Demographics & Community

7 25.7% of residents in the Vladeck Houses tract are at least 62 years of age — the highest rate for a NYCHA project in the city (citywide, 14.9% of residents are 62 years old or older) — and unemployment in the complex is far above the city average (Vladeck: 17%; city: 9.5%). 1 Since it is on the Lower East Side, Vladeck Houses is serviced by the New York Police Department’s PSA 4 and is governed by Manhattan Community Board 3.

Maintenance & Resident Hardships

2 Residents describe frequent issues with maintenance. One resident stated that during winter nights, her family had to take cold showers because of a lack of heat. Although her father reached out to the management office to inquire about the issue, they still experienced the same conditions. 2 Other residents expressed concerns about the lack of maintenance in the Vladeck Houses, and also introduced the issue of safety, which is poorly dealt with in the housing. The lack of safety in the lobbies, elevators, and even hallways brought about cases of robberies, rapes, and even shootings.

Senior Accessibility Improvements (2006–2015)

2 In December 2015, NYCHA finished the completion of a new ramp that leads to the Good Companions Senior Center at the Vladeck Houses. In 2006, it was noticed that the ramp was too steep and dangerous for the elderly to use. City Council member Rosie Mendez apportioned $965,000 to the renovation of a new ramp. In addition, new street lamps were built to bring better lighting around the ramps. 2 NYCHA also spent around $577,000 to improve the conditions of restrooms at the Vladeck Houses as part of broader improvements across its developments.

Wheelchair Accessibility

2 Back in 1996, NYCHA and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development had an agreement to make 5% or 8,900 public housing apartments “fully accessible” for wheelchair tenants. However, as of 2017, less than half the goal was accomplished — in fact, only 2,953 apartments were wheelchair friendly.

Security Cameras & Crime (2011)

16 The Vladeck Houses stretch over 13 acres on the Lower East Side, housing nearly 3,000 residents. After a series of violent incidents, the complex raised $3.7 million over the years from local council members allocating funds specifically for the installation of surveillance equipment. 16 Tenant Association President Nancy Ortiz noted that an uptick in crime at the complex could be attributed to the fact that Vladeck did not have any surveillance cameras, while other nearby complexes had already introduced them. “It’s an easy exit point for criminals,” she noted. “They see how easy it is to get lost in here and how quick it is to hide.” 16 NYCHA submitted its plan for a pilot program, which includes surveillance cameras and layered access at all Vladeck Houses buildings, and awaited response from the tenant association and local council members.

Public Safety Forums (2013)

17 In February 2013, a forum on Public Safety in Public Housing was organized by the resident associations of six lower Manhattan NYCHA developments — including Vladeck Houses. The event brought together NYCHA residents, elected officials, community-based organizations, and representatives of the NYPD to collaborate on identifying solutions to end the rise in crime within NYCHA developments.

Superstorm Sandy (2012)

14 Nearly 80,000 low-income residents were left without heat or electricity because of the flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy, including Nancy Ortiz, a third-generation resident of the Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side. 14 Ortiz said the Vladeck Houses did not receive any flood protection or upgrades after Sandy, though the city was expected to begin work on an East River flood-protection barrier from Montgomery Street, near her apartment, up to East 14th Street.

NYCHA Bribery Scandal

13 A resident of the Lower East Side’s Vladeck Houses reported that repairs were slow to come. An indictment alleged that her assistant superintendent told a no-bid contractor “You need to take care of me” before being paid $1,000 in cash by the contractor. 13 Federal prosecutors alleged that 70 defendants demanded over $2 million in bribe money from contractors in exchange for giving out over $13 million of work on NYCHA buildings, and if the contractors didn’t pay up, the defendants wouldn’t give them the work — what U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called “classic pay-to-play.”

Recent Incidents

15 A person barricaded themselves after firing a gun at police officers inside the Vladeck Houses complex on Madison Street on the Lower East Side. Officers had been executing a search warrant, and as they went to break down a door, a person on the other side fired at them.

East Side Coastal Resiliency Project

14 The de Blasio administration began constructing the East Side Coastal Resiliency project, a roughly $1.5 billion initiative to build flood protections along a stretch of land that is home to 28,000 public housing residents, including those near the Vladeck Houses neighborhood.

Legacy

4 Throughout his political career, Baruch Charney Vladeck successfully promoted low-cost public housing for working people, and consequently the city named the development bordering the park the Vladeck Houses in his honor. 18 Today, the Vladeck Houses in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, completed by NYCHA in 1940, bear his name, as does nearby Vladeck Park. The Amalgamated Housing Cooperative in the Bronx contains a lecture hall named Vladeck Hall. A liberty ship, B. Charney Vladeck, was named for Vladeck and launched in 1944.

In summary, Vladeck Houses is one of the oldest NYCHA developments in New York City, born out of the Great Depression-era push to clear the Lower East Side’s decrepit tenements and provide dignified, affordable homes. Named for a legendary labor leader and housing advocate, it has endured decades of neglect, flooding, crime, and corruption, while remaining home to thousands of resilient New Yorkers — including many seniors — who continue to call it home.

The Baruch Charney Vladeck Houses (commonly known as “Vladeck Houses”) is a public housing development in the Two Bridges section of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Its history is landmarked by its status as the first fully city-financed public housing project in the United States, as well as its connection to the influential labor leaders of the early 20th century.

1. The Namesake: Baruch Charney Vladeck (1886–1938)

The development is named after Baruch Charney Vladeck, a towering figure in the Jewish labor movement and New York City politics.1

• Background: Born in Russia, Vladeck was a revolutionary who immigrated to NYC in 1908. He became the general manager of The Jewish Daily Forward (a major Yiddish newspaper) and a founder of the Jewish Labor Committee.
• Housing Advocate: As a member of the NYC Board of Aldermen and a member of the original board of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), he was a tireless advocate for replacing squalid tenements with modern, affordable homes.
• Death and Tribute: Vladeck died of a heart attack in 1938, just as the project he championed (then known as the “Corlears Hook project”) was beginning. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia renamed the development in his honor to commemorate his life’s work.

2. A Pioneer in Financing (1939–1940)

The Vladeck Houses were unique because they utilized a dual-funding model, a first for the nation at the time:

• Vladeck City Houses (I): Consists of 20 six-story buildings. It was the first public housing in America financed entirely by a city (NYC), rather than federal or state funds. Construction began on September 10, 1939, and finished in November 1940.345
• Vladeck Federal Houses (II): Consists of 4 six-story buildings.26 This section was funded by the federal government under the U.S. Housing Act. It was completed in October 1940.25
• Total Scope: Together, the complex spans roughly 15 acres and contains over 1,750 apartments.

3. Architecture and Design

In a rare move for public housing, the city hired a prestigious architectural firm: Shreve, Lamb & Harmon, the same firm that designed the Empire State Building.

• Modernist Vision: The design utilized “functional simplicity”—plain brick facades and straightforward rectangular forms.7 Unlike later “towers in the park” that reached 20+ stories, Vladeck was built as a “low-rise” (6 stories) development to maintain a sense of neighborhood scale.
• Landscaping: The grounds and central park (Vladeck Park) were designed by Gilmore D. Clarke, the landscape architect responsible for much of the look of the 1939 World’s Fair and the Central Park Zoo.

4. Cultural and Social History

• Immigrant Roots: When it first opened, the Vladeck Houses were a massive improvement for the Lower East Side’s predominantly Jewish, Italian, and Irish immigrant families, who moved out of “Old Law” tenements into apartments with modern plumbing, electricity, and elevators.
• Demographic Shift: Over the decades, the development reflected the changing face of the Lower East Side, becoming home to a large Puerto Rican and African American community, and more recently, a significant Chinese American population.
• Historic Landmark: Due to its architectural pedigree and its role as the first city-funded housing project, the Vladeck Houses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the late 1990s.

5. Challenges and Resilience (2000s–Present)89

• Hurricane Sandy (2012): Being located near the East River, Vladeck was severely impacted by the storm. Flooding destroyed electrical systems and boilers, leading to years of resiliency projects, including the installation of flood barriers and elevated mechanical systems.
• Infrastructure Struggles: Like many NYCHA properties, Vladeck has faced recent crises involving lead paint, elevator outages, and heating failures.
• The Modern Neighborhood: Today, the houses sit at the heart of a rapidly gentrifying Two Bridges neighborhood. While luxury towers now rise nearby (like One Manhattan Square), Vladeck remains a critical anchor of affordability for over 3,000 residents.

Summary Facts:

• Location: Bounded by Madison, Water, Jackson, and Gouverneur Streets.45
• Buildings: 24 buildings (6 stories each).
• First Opened: October/November 1940.25
• Unique Status: First city-funded public housing project in the U.S.
• Management: NYCHA (Manhattan Community Board 3).