South Jamaica Houses Explained

South Jamaica Houses
Settlement Type:NYCHA property
Coordinates:40.6977°N -73.796°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:City
Subdivision Type3:Borough
Subdivision Name2:New York City
Subdivision Name3:Queens
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population Density Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:ZIP codes
Postal Code:11433
Area Code:718, 347, 929, and 917

South Jamaica Houses is a housing project in South Jamaica, Queens, New York. It is nicknamed "40 Projects."[1] The original complex, South Jamaica I Houses opened in 1940,[2] [3] while the second complex, South Jamaica II Houses, opened in 1954.[2] The entire complex is bounded by South Road to the north, 160th Street to the east, Brinkerhoff Avenue to the south, and 158th Street to the west.[2] [4] [5] [6]

Nicknames

The South Jamaica Houses are commonly referred to as the 40 Projects, and occasionally as "the 40s" or the "40s Houses". The nicknames are said to be derived from the complex's opening in the year 1940,[7] or the nearby P.S. 40 and J.H.S. 40 public schools.[8]

Location

South Jamaica I is the original section of the complex opened in 1940. Measuring, it lies between South Road and 109th Avenue. It consists of 11 three-to-four story buildings with 440 units (originally 448).[9] South Jamaica II lies between 109th Avenue and Brinkerhoff Avenue, occupying . It consists of 16 buildings three-to-seven stories high.[10] The buildings in both sections have brick exteriors.[11] A small parking lot is located at the northwest end of the complex.[12]

Located at 159th Street and 108th Avenue on the east side of the development is the Jamaica Day Nursery. The nursery, which predates the projects, was moved into the complex in 1940.[10] One block south is the South Jamaica Community Center, also known as the Samuel Huntington Community Center.[10] The complex also includes several playgrounds and gardens.[11]

Adjacent to the west of complex lies the Atlantic Branch of the Long Island Rail Road, which does not stop in this area. To the north across from South Road is the campus of York College.

History

Prior to the construction of the project, South Jamaica was considered a slum and severely overcrowded. The site of the South Jamaica Houses was occupied by 150 wood-frame houses.[13] [14] It was estimated that 3,000 families in the neighborhood needed improved housing conditions.[15] [16] On August 16, 1939, New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia announced plans to allocate $20 million towards five planned public housing projects, including the South Jamaica Houses, and the two-part Vladeck Houses in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.[17] The South Jamaica development itself would cost $2.5 million.[18] These were some of the first housing developments to be built and operated by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA).[19] The land was acquired at low cost, and the development was designed to feature low-rise buildings.[18] [20] Though located in a predominantly African American neighborhood, the houses were the first NYCHA facility to be racially integrated with both White and Black families.[18] [21]

Construction began on September 28, 1939. The complex was dedicated by Mayor LaGuardia on April 15, 1940.[15] [22] [23] The development opened on July 2, 1940, accepting 351 families. An additional 96 families moved in on August 5.[24] [25] [26] [27] [28] The Jamaica Day Nursery, formerly located on 107th Avenue and 159th Street, was moved into a new headquarters within the complex on September 9.[24] [29] The complex generated controversy over the alleged selection of tenants by race, and because many applicants from Manhattan, Brooklyn and The Bronx were selected over local South Jamaica residents.[30] [31] [32]

Plans to extend the complex emerged in the mid-to-late 1940s.[33] [34] [35] On January 6, 1951, the Housing Authority announced plans to condemn additional slum land to build South Jamaica II Houses, extending the complex south to Brinkerhoff Avenue. Plans for the project were filed on August 23, 1951, estimated to cost $7.5 million.[36] [37] [38] [39] Residential occupation began in May 1954, and the development was completed by October of that year.[10]

In the 1980s and 1990s, during the national crack cocaine epidemic, the South Jamaica Houses were considered a hotbed for drug-related activity and violence. This included the operations of the Corley gang and the Supreme Team.[40] [7] [41] [42] [43] This has continued into the 21st century, in spite of major drug raids by the New York City Police Department in 1999 and 2012.[7] [42] [44]

Schools

Three elementary schools are located near the complex:

The nearest middle and junior high schools are:

The closest high school to the South Jamaica Houses is the Queens High School for the Sciences, a specialized high school, located on the York College campus. Eagle Academy for Young Men III and the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety are located south of Linden Boulevard. The closest zoned high school is Hillcrest High School just north of Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, while the closest educational campus is the Jamaica Campus (formerly Jamaica High School) near the Grand Central Parkway.[46] The Young Women's Leadership School of Queens was formerly located in the P.S. 40 facility, but is now located across from Hillcrest High School.[46]

Notable residents

See also

References

http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nycha/downloads/pdf/South%20Jamaica%20I.pdfhttp://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nycha/downloads/pdf/South%20Jamaica%20II.pdf

Notes and References

  1. News: James. George. 18 Are Arrested By Task Force On Its First Day. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. March 15, 1988.
  2. Book: The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition . Jackson . Kenneth T. . Keller . Lisa . Flood . Nancy . 2010 . . 0300182570 . October 7, 2012 .
  3. Book: Copquin, Claudia Gryvatz . The Neighborhoods of Queens . 2007 . Yale University Press . 0300112998 . 224 . October 7, 2012 .
  4. Web site: South Jamaica Houses. New York City Housing Authority. 2 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150907055155/http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycha/html/developments/queenssouthjamaica.shtml. 7 September 2015.
  5. Web site: South Jamaica I. 2 April 2016. New York City Housing Authority. nyc.gov.
  6. Web site: South Jamaica II. 2 April 2016. New York City Housing Authority. nyc.gov.
  7. News: Donohue. Peter. NARCS NAB 25 IN RAID ON CREW, GRAB STASH. 2 April 2016. Daily News (New York). April 8, 1999.
  8. Web site: On God, Faith and 40 Projects, Queens, NY. urban-american-success.com. 2 April 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160414204321/http://www.urban-american-success.com/God-Faith-40.html. 14 April 2016.
  9. News: Hall. Charles. Queens Families Irked As Others Crowd 'Utopia': South Jamaica Folk See 'Outsiders' Benefited By Housing Project. 2 April 2016. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. August 31, 1940. 16.
  10. Web site: QUEENS COMMUNITIES Population Characteristics and Neighborhood Social Resources: Volume II. BJPA.org. Bureau of Community Statistical Services Research Department, The Community Council of Greater New York. 2 April 2016. June 1958.
  11. News: South Jamaica Homes Set for New Tenants: Seventy Low-Income Families Will Occupy First Unit of Modern Housing Project. 15 April 2016. Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Newspapers.com. July 1, 1940. 20.
  12. Book: Archer Ave Route (proposed) Construction, Queens: Environmental Impact Statement. 6 August 2016. August 1973. Urban Mass Transit Administration, United States Department of Transportation.
  13. Book: Peter Eisenstadt. Rochdale Village: Robert Moses, 6,000 Families, and New York City's Great Experiment in Integrated Housing. 2 April 2016. 23 February 2011. Cornell University Press. 0-8014-5968-0. 49–52.
  14. News: Roberts. Sam. Before Public Housing, a City Life Cleared Away. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. May 8, 2005.
  15. News: Well and Truly Laid. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. April 16, 1940.
  16. News: South Jamaica Houses: A Small Help to Local Families. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. August 5, 1940. 14.
  17. News: $20,000,000 HOUSING TO PROCEED HERE; Mayor Announces Action on 5 Projects as Result of Pact Ending Building Stoppages UNION PLAN IS PRAISED Coyne Says That Jurisdictional Disputes No Longer Will Result in Tie-Ups. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. August 17, 1939.
  18. News: New Places in the Sun. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. March 24, 1940.
  19. Book: New York City Housing Authority. New York City Housing Authority. Vladeck houses; a lesson in neighbourhood history. 1940. 2 April 2016.
  20. Book: Plunz, Richard. A History of Housing in New York City. Columbia University Press. 1990. 0231062966. New York. 240.
  21. News: HOUSING PROJECTS EASE RESTRICTIONS; Thousands Now Ineligible as Tenants Will Be Able to Get Apartments INCOME LIMIT IS RAISED Both Negro and White Families Will Be Accepted in City's Jamaica Buildings. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. April 12, 1940.
  22. Book: Jeffrey A. Kroessler. New York Year by Year: A Chronology of the Great Metropolis. registration. 2 April 2016. 1 August 2002. New York University Press. 978-0-8147-4750-6. 239.
  23. News: Mayor Denounces Pari-Mutel Betting As He Dedicates South Jamaica Houses. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. April 16, 1940. 1.
  24. News: FILLING HOUSING PROJECT: 96 Families Will Move Into South Jamaica Development today. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. August 5, 1940.
  25. News: HOUSING PROJECT FILLED: Last 96 Families Move Goods Into South Jamaica Houses. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. August 6, 1940.
  26. News: Last Families Moving Into South Jamaica: 96 New Tenants Arrive Tomorrow, Filling Low-Rent Project. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. August 5, 1940.
  27. News: Get Low-Rent Suites: First Families to Move Into South Jamaica Houses Tomorrow. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. July 1, 1940.
  28. News: MOVED TO HOUSING UNIT: Goods of 70 Families Arrive at South Jamaica Houses. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. July 3, 1940.
  29. News: Day Nursery 'Comes Home' On July 30: Newly-Equipped Quarters to Be Opened in South Jamaica Houses. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 12, 1940.
  30. News: South Jamaica Houses: For Whom Were They Built?. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. June 1, 1940. 4.
  31. News: South Jamaica Houses: They Will Pay Big Dividends. 2 April 2016. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. April 10, 1940. 4.
  32. News: Rehousing Theories: When Is a Slum Not a Slum?. 2 April 2016. Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. July 17, 1940. 12.
  33. News: The Money's There. 2 April 2016. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. August 5, 1949. 4.
  34. News: CITY HOUSING PLANS GO TO $260,000,000; 16 PROJECTS ADDED; $132,500,000 Program Sent to Federal Agency With Request for Funds. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. December 27, 1944.
  35. News: TEN HOUSING UNITS TO COST $95,000,000; U.S. and State to Supply the Funds—Mayor Will Stump for Rent Subsidy Referendum. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. May 28, 1945.
  36. News: For 600 Families: South Jamaica Houses Extension Approved. 2 April 2016. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. August 24, 1951. 2.
  37. News: 159 Slum Acres To Be Condemned: Action on 7 of 9 City Housing Projects in 4 Boroughs Is Set for Thursday. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. January 7, 1951.
  38. News: Jamaica Housing to Cost $7,500,000: City Project Will Have Many Community Facilities-Other Work Speeded. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. August 24, 1951.
  39. News: For 600 Families: South Jamaica Houses Extension Approved. 2 April 2016. Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. August 24, 1951. 1.
  40. Book: Ethan Brown. Ethan Brown (journalist). Queens Reigns Supreme: Fat Cat, 50 Cent, and the Rise of the Hip Hop Hustler. 2 April 2016. 8 December 2010. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. 978-0-307-48993-7. 7–14.
  41. News: Marriott. Michel. New York's Worst Drug Sites: Persistent Markets of Death. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. June 1, 1989.
  42. News: Toy. Vivian S.. Counselor at Youth Home Is Accused of Running a $3 Million-a-Year Drug Ring. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. April 8, 1999.
  43. News: McKinley Jr.. James C.. Where Fear of Street Violence Rules Life. 2 April 2016. The New York Times. December 28, 1989.
  44. News: Colvin. Jill. Nearly 50 Arrested in Massive Drug Ring Takedown. 2 April 2016. DNAinfo.com. May 17, 2012. 1 Police Plaza. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120719193008/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20120517/jamaica/nearly-50-arrested-massive-drug-ring-takedown. 19 July 2012.
  45. Book: Pete Ahern. 3 – Pete: One man's journey. 2 April 2016. 12 November 2013. AuthorHouse. 978-1-4918-3137-3. 8.
  46. Web site: 2016 New York City High School Directory. schools.nyc.gov. New York City Department of Education. 4 June 2015. 2015.
  47. News: Jacobson. Mark. The Jazz Scientist: Musician, scientist, inventor of his own martial art – "Me and Shaq? Anytime" – Milford Graves, marching to his own beat, is the different drummer.. 2 April 2016. New York. November 12, 2001.

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