The United Workers Cooperative Colony (called “the Coops” or the “Allerton Coops” by residents), located at 2700 Bronx Park East, was a radical experiment in cooperative housing in the 1920s. Large numbers of Jews, fleeing oppression in the Russian Empire, began settling in Manhattan’s Lower East Side in the late nineteenth century.
Some had already been involved in revolutionary politics in their homelands. Crowded living conditions, high rent, and economic exploitation in their new home attracted more to various alternatives to capitalism.
The United Workers Cooperative Association was one among many of these alternatives developed by working-class Jews, most of whom were laborers in the needle trades, one of the largest industries in New York City at the time.
The Association focused much of its early cooperative efforts on Harlem. Its largest and most ambitious project, however, was in the northern Bronx, where it bought land on Bronx Park East in 1926 in order to build a large complex of cooperative housing.
The Coops sold financial stakes in the cooperative to “tenant investors” at the rate of about half a year’s salary for working-class people at the time. As shareholders, residents had a say in the operation of the cooperative.
The Coops were a nonprofit cooperative, meaning apartments could not be sold by individuals. Departing tenants received their initial investment back, with interest, and the board of directors, elected by the tenants, decided which new applicants got the vacant apartments.
In the 1940s, the board implemented an occupancy policy that gave priority to Black applicants. A small number of Black tenants were already present as early as 1935, but thanks to this policy, the Coops became one of the first significantly interracial housing complexes in New York City, long before the end of Jim Crow in the South and de facto segregation in the North.
As the rendering from 1926 above illustrates, beauty was a chief concern of the shareholders of the Coops, many of whom had lived in the squalid tenements of the Lower East Side.
Apartments were designed with high ceilings, healthy ventilation, and windows oriented so that direct sunlight would fall into at least one room. Further, spaces in the complex were designated for a library, daycare, Yiddish-language schools, youth club rooms, a cooperative restaurant, and a lecture hall,
Ravaged financially during the Great Depression, the Coops began to recover slightly during World War II and was offered new mortgage terms by the bank in 1943 that included rent increases. The Coops was deemed a financial liability by banks and insurance companies at the time for a variety of reasons, including its small but significant number of Black residents.
Tenants voted against accepting the new mortgage, the bank refused to negotiate different terms, and the Coops became privately-owned apartment buildings.
Nevertheless, the legacy of housing cooperatives remains alive and well in The Bronx, with historic examples like the Amalgamated Housing Co-operative, built shortly after the Coops and remaining a cooperative to this day, and Co-Op City, the largest cooperative housing development in the world, built starting in the late 1960s and located along the Hutchinson River in the northeast Bronx.
This essay was first published in The Bronx County Historical Society’s newsletter. The Bronx County Historical Society, founded in 1955, is a non-profit educational and cultural institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. The Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the history and heritage of The Bronx.
Illustrations, from above: Artistic rendering of the Allerton Coops, ca. 1926, from the At Home in Utopia Collection of The Bronx County Archives; and Allerton Coops in 2017 (courtesy Wikimedia user Jim Henderson)
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During a visit to the Roebling Museum on Sunday, the guide discussed the many generations of the Roebling family. Apparently, not every descendant was destined to lead the family business. Washington A. Roebling, a race car aficionado, ventured into race car manufacturing and driving. The guide also mentioned that a Roebling traveled to Europe with a member of the Blackwell family, Stephen Weart Blackwell, from Hopewell Junction, NJ. The majority of the Blackwells migrated from Astoria to the Trenton area, and here was one of them!
Both perished on the Titanic, but the chauffeur and car made it back to the U.S. on a later sailing.
TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2024
ISSUE #1240
THE ROEBLING-BLACKWELL
CONNECTION
TRENTON SPACES JUDITH BERDY
Washington Augustus Roebling II
Washington Augustus Roebling II in driver’s clothes.
Washington Augustus Roebling II was an American businessman and early automobile manufacturer who perished in the sinking of RMS Titanic.
Washington August Roebling was born in Trenton, New Jersey on March 25, 1881 into the prominent Roebling family of American Industrialists. He was the son of Charles Roebling and Sarah Mahon Ormsby. He was named after his famous uncle Washington Roebling, a Civil War Colonel and supervising engineer for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. Friends would call him ‘Washy’. Washington II attended the elite Hill School in Pottstown, Pennsylvania where he was an adept football player. After working with his father in the family business, for the John A. Roebling Sons Company, he switched to the Walter Automotive Company as its Secretary.ADVERTISEMENT
The 1911 Mercer Raceabout, which took second in the hands of Washington Augustus Roebling II at the 1911 International Light Cars Race.
In 1909, Washington Roebling II arranged to take over the Walter Automobile Company from William Walter because of its mounting financial issues. The company was moved to an abandoned brewery owned by the Kuser family in Hamilton, New Jersey, outside of Trenton. Washington Roebling II’s father, Ferdinand Roebling was made President, John Louis Kuser, the twin brother of prominent New Jersey businessman Anthony R. Kuser was made Secretary-Treasurer, and Washington was made General Manager of the new enterprise, Mercer Automobile Company.
The company marketed itself to the high end and racing markets. He worked with noted French auto designer Etienne Planche, designing the Roebling-Planche Racing Car which performed well in auto races of the time. Roebling tested all Mercer Models before they entered market, and participated in racing.
As an amateur, he finished an astounding second at the International Light Car Race for the Savannah Challenge Trophy in November 1911, with the Mercer Raceabout. He had a collision with a palmetto tree at the last lap, damaging his control levers. This must have cost him a victory, since he lost 12 minutes in the collision, and the damage it caused must have had an affect on the speed of the car, which still ran at an impressive average of 61 mph, Washington only finished 8 minutes behind the winner after a race of 277 miles.
Titanic
In early 1912, he took a long European road trip with his friend and Trenton native, Stephen Weart Blackwell and Chauffeur Frank Stanley in a Mercer Fiat. While touring Italy and France, Blackwell and Roebling meet the Bonnell and Wick families, and decided to join them on their return trip to United States on the new ocean liner RMS Titanic. Because of illness, Frank Stanley stayed behind in Europe with Roebling’s car. Both Blackwell and Roebling stayed in First Class accommodations, Roebling boarded the ship at Southampton, England, on April 12, 1912, for its Maiden Voyage. He was 31 years old at the time, and stayed in cabin A-24.
When the ship struck and iceberg on April 14, 1912 at 11:40 P.M, the ship started sinking. On April 15, Washington was seen helping the women of the Bonell and Wick families into a lifeboat, telling them reassuredly “you will be back with us on the ship soon”. Blackwell and Roebling’s bodies were never found. Because of a miscommunication his Roebling cousins traveled to Halifax, believing him to be among the survivors picked up by the RMS Carpathia. The Mercer Motor Company was taken over by outsider investors in 1919, going into receivership in 1925 and folding not long after that.
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The Albert Swinden mural looks down at activities at the Tata Innovation Center on Friday, where the graduates were showcasing their projects/
CREDITS:
ROEBLING MUSEUM
JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Ever since I passed the Roebling stop on the N.J. Light Rail a few years ago, I’ve wanted to visit the museum. My friend and I ventured there today since the museum was open and there was a fair on the grounds.
The museum is compact, telling the story of the Roebling family and the many generations that ran the company. The story of the town is fascinating. The company knew that to entice workers in this remote town,
Roebling built decent housing, stores, schools, and all facilities a community would need. Many Easter European immigrants came straight from Ellis Island to Roebling and stayed for generations.
At its height, the factories all over the Trenton area had 4,000 employees. The factory faced financial difficulties in the 1950’s, leading to the plants’ closure in the 1960’s.
Looking at this pristine neighborhood ti is hard to believe that belching smoke and ash flowed from the steel wire structures for decades.
One side effect that isn’t publicized is the widespread contamination of the sites and how remediation efforts have continued for years.
Town of Florence Historical Society Aerial view of Roebling,NJ.
The museum on Open House Day
One of the relics of the factory.
One of the wire turning machines,
As you moved up in the company, your home was father away from the plant and closer to the river.
A showcase of employee ID badges
The grounds home to much equipment.
The Company Store is still a store to this day, but it is a contmporary deli in the original structure.
Now county administration buildings, to this day they ae connected by a suspension bridge
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NEW VISITOR TO THE ISLAND,NAMED ASTORIA, Day 5. Astoria is still here venturing around the Rivercross Lawn and in back of 565 and 555 Main St.
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
Take a quick look and you will see some familiar structures in Long Island City and many of others are gone. Massive demolition of the area has wiped away so much local history.
Title: Queens Plaza, Long Island City Subject: Aerial and Panoramic Views
Title: Engineers of the Tophographical Bureau of Queens, NYC Description: At Long Island City Court House Date: 1906
Title: Topographical Bureau of Queens Baseball, Long Island City Description: Long Island City Date: 1910
Title: Long Island City Post Office & its Stall Letter Carriers (Identification on Rear of Print) Description: Group Portrait of Long Island City Post Office Staff Date: 1900
Title: Queens County Courthouse-Long Island City Subject: Courthouses Description: General view of courthouse from Jackson Avenue Date: January 5, 1928
Title: Borough Hall, Long Island City Subject: Queens Borough Hall Description: General view of building Date: August 7, 1936
Title: Vernon Boulevard, north at 50th Avenue (4th Street) Subject: Traffic Description: Trolley, store fronts, pedestrians, church, and moving traffic (non-vintage print) Date: 10-Nov-31
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NEW YORK CITY MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES ROOSEVELTISLANDER JUDITH BERDY
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
A NEW RESIDENT RI PLANNING TASK FORCE IS ANNOUNCED
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Prior to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. becoming a national icon of the Civil Rights Movement during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956, one of the most well-known figures of African-American freedom struggles was Paul Robeson (1898–1976).
Robeson was born in Princeton, New Jersey; his mother died in a house fire when he was six, and his father was a minister and manual laborer. In 1915, Robeson became the third African American to enroll at Rutgers University. He made the football team, playing end, and was involved in the debate club as well as singing on and off campus.
As he writes in his memoir Here I Stand (1958), Robeson encountered discrimination on and off the football field. Nevertheless, he earned four oratorical awards, varsity letters in several sports, was selected as first-team All-American in his junior and senior football seasons, and was elected valedictorian of his graduating class in 1919.
Robeson went on to attend law school, first at NYU and then at Columbia. During these years, he was recruited by the NFL’s Akron Pros, began to sing at major public events like the dedication of the Harlem YMCA, met and married Eslanda Goode, and had his theatrical debut. After graduating from law school in 1923, Robeson worked briefly as a lawyer but his theatrical and musical career soon became his primary focus.
The multi-faceted cultural movement of African-American creativity we know as the Harlem Renaissance was blossoming at this time, and the Robesons were very much a part of it. In 1925, thanks to Eslanda’s urging, Robeson auditioned for and appeared in his first film, Oscar Micheaux’s Body and Soul, shot in The Bronx. Amid touring, filming, and travels — domestic and international — Paul Robeson, Jr. was born in 1927.
In 1930, the Robesons made the decision to relocate permanently to London, staying there until 1940. While in the U.K., Robeson had become increasingly politicized, befriending exiled leaders of African liberation struggles and becoming involved in the Spanish Republicans’ struggle against General Franco’s fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939).
When he returned to the U.S. in 1940, Robeson became immediately involved in African-American freedom struggles, leading the charge to break Jim Crow in baseball and raising awareness of anti-colonial liberation movements in Africa as chairman of the Council on African Affairs.
It was after his return to the U.S. that Robeson started to come around the Allerton Coops in The Bronx, a complex that housed notable African-American activists, artists, actors, and other creatives.
In oral histories in the collections of The Bronx County Historical Society, residents of the Coops remember Robeson being a regular presence at parties and other social functions throughout the 1940s and 1950s.
As World War II came to an end and McCarthyism became ascendant, Robeson and other civil rights leaders were accused of being Communists. As a result, Robeson was barred from performing publicly in most venues in the U.S. The Coops was a rare social and cultural haven for Robeson — constant F.B.I. surveillance aside — during this difficult period in his life.
TWO DETERIORATING MAIL RELAY BOXES Located in front of 510 Main Street these two boxes are used by the USPS to store mail in for carriers to pick up and deliver. All over the city, these boxes are deteriorated and looks like the USPS has neglected them for decades.
CREDITS:
NEW YORK ALMANACK
This essay was first published in The Bronx County Historical Society’s newsletter. The Bronx County Historical Society, founded in 1955, is a non-profit educational and cultural institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. The Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the history and heritage of The Bronx.
Photo: Paul Robeson among a crowd of fans in Harlem, 1955 (courtesy Robeson Family Trust and Marilyn Robeson).
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
City records convey data, instructions, or information, generally without embellishment. But there are exceptions, and this Find of the Week is an outstanding example.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, Title Page. NYC Municipal Archives.
The image depicted is the title page of a ledger “Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855.” Created by City surveyor Roswell Graves, the ledger contains 40 plates depicting the topographical features of the land that would become Central Park.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, sample plate. NYC Municipal Archives.
Beginning in 1807, surveyor John Randel, Jr., produced a map for the Commissioners Plan of 1811, which imposed a grid of streets and avenues creating uniform blocks from Houston Street north to 155th Street. By the time Graves surveyed the land for Central Park, the blocks had been divided into lots to facilitate development. Each plate of the Graves ledger displays three blocks in what would become the park—from 59th to 106th Streets, between Fifth and Eighth Avenues.
Topographical Maps in the Matter of Opening Central Park, New York, July 1855, sample plate. NYC Municipal Archives.
The ledger is currently being appraised in the Conservation Laboratory to determine treatment and re-housing measures that will ensure its long-term preservation. Look for future articles for updates and information about the provenance of this significant item.
Hi Judy — The RIHS post today might have been about the gum thing, but that photo is about so much more — a real look back at a really interesting time. **When there was cigarette & tobacco advertisements. ** When there was a meaningful ad from the New York Savings Bank reflecting some hope for the future. And whose building I think is still standing at Eighth Ave & W.14th Street. ** And those warning words on the door between subway cars. Nicely done. Nina P.S. And those cane seats that snags your stockings.
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KENN COBB NYC MUNICIPAL ARCHIVES BLOG
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Sugar was cheap during the Great Depression. Chewing gum was an affordable treat that sold well. But New York City was paying a high price to scrape the sticky mess from the ground.
The city had recently taken over the Independent Subway Line and balked at the cost of cleaning gum from the platforms. The Mayor released a statement to the morning papers on December 4, 1939: “This may seem like a trifling matter, but it costs the City of New York literally hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to remove gum from parks, streets and public places.”
The Secretary of the Board of Transportation, William Jerome Daly, informed the Mayor that two workers scraping the worst stations for six months “were eventually transferred to other duty because their efforts were futile. It was just a hopeless task.” He agreed with the Mayor that the only remedy was the correction of bad manners.”
The size of that group of gum droppers would be unscientifically tallied by William Powell, the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Sanitation. He guessed that one in five people who lived in New York City chewed gum. Since there were approximately seven million people living in New York City in 1939, that added up to about 1.3 million gum chewers.
What kind of leader attempts to change the bad manners of 1.3 million New Yorkers? Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia
LaGuardia served as Mayor for three terms through the 1930s and 1940s. Barely five feet tall, the “Little Flower” backed progressive causes and helped New Yorkers survive the Great Depression and Second World War. He was known as a tireless advocate for children. He brought entire orphanages to baseball games. He read the funny papers live on the radio for children during a newspaper strike.
LaGuardia’s idea was to attack the sticky problem with a cultural campaign. No fines, no bans, no summonses, but a contest to win over the hearts and minds of everyone who cared about New York City. He issued a press release that resulted in numerous stories in newspapers across the country.
The Mayor’s campaign invited the public to teach and encourage themselves to act appropriately. And the public responded with creativity! Among the suggestions were “Shoot the Wad” and “Don’t be dumb, park your gum!”
Milton W. Firth, wrote the Mayor. “The carelessness with of gum chewers in littering the city pavements and subway platforms has long been a source of annoyance to me, and I am greatly pleased to see that someone has started a campaign to rid the city of this nuisance,” he offered. “After all it is but one step behind expectorating [spitting], and that is a misdemeanor.”
Firth suggested a new law “prohibiting the careless practice of discarding chewing gum in public places.” His suggestion for the new campaign? “Try to keep your city dapper. Park used gum inside this wrapper [sic].”
Edith Goldberg of Brooklyn suggested “Wrap your gum. You, too, have a sole.” Four pages of cartoons with captions came from Frances Paelian of Spuyten Duyvil in The Bronx. From East Hapswell, Maine came “Chew It. But Don’t Strew It.”
John F. Klohr, purveyor of “Insurance of All Kinds,” confessed to giving away sixty sticks of gum per day for 15 years. He expressed remorse, and promised that in the future he would encourage people to use the wrapper in disposing of the gum.
John Krol, a former employee of the Parks Department, sent “Chew! But Don’t Strew Your Streets With Goo!” A poem in the style of Robert Burns was submitted by Redmond O’Hanlon entitled “Owed to N.Y.C. – Gum Free Streets.”
The winning slogan was submitted by Miss Rose L. Beckman, a teacher at the Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn: “Don’t Gum Up the Works.” The winning entry beat out “Chucking Chicle Chokes the Charm of our Choo-Choo Station.”
The candy and gum manufacturers responded with enthusiastic support. They printed new directions on packaging: “Park used gum inside this wrapper.” And they made tin signs to encourage good manners.
A letter from Philip K. Wrigley of the William Wrigley Jr. Company (Chicago) supported the Mayor’s quest, offering to change the next print run of advertising cards for street cars, buses and train cars. However, Wrigley mentioned that the American Chicle Company, a chewing gum trust, had vending rights on the City-owned Eighth Avenue Subway, and as such, there wasn’t much more the Wrigley Company could do on this line, without additional vending right.
The Vice President of the American Chicle Company wrote back to the Mayor from his New Jersey office: “we are pleased to advise you that on or shortly after the first of next year the 1c wrappers of all of our standard brands will bear the legend ‘Save this Wrapper for Disposal of Gum after Use.’” American Chicle also maintained their vending rights on the Eighth Avenue Line.
The Goudey Gum Company, of Boston, and Beech Nut, of Amsterdam, NY, both supported the campaign. Sweets Laboratories, in Harlem, supported the Mayor’s plight, but explained that they sold chicle – the gum base – to gum manufacturers.
The campaign spread to the airwaves. Chiclets publicist David O. Alber notified the Mayor about the Frank Novak and the Stardusters radio show, sponsored by Chiclets on NBC, to be aired in mid-December, 1939. The Stardusters, a male trio, would sing a song (featuring Chiclets) about good gum manners to the tune of “Comin’ thru the Rye.”
Chiclets also promised to “go even further in this campaign by inserting notices in each package of gum, urging purchasers to save the wrappers for use in disposing of the gum.”
On January 25, 1940, the Assistant Commissioner of Sanitation, Edward Nugent, reported on the impact of the campaign: “from observations in touring the city, the Mayor’s effort has brought a decided improvement in this matter.”
The campaign ended swiftly and peacefully. Unfortunately, the battle against gum continues.
A SPECIAL FLOWER
EVERYTHING IS COMING UP IRISES AT THE KIOSK! ENJOY THEM THIS WEEK!
CREDITS:
This essay by Mary Beth Kilkelly was first published on the New York City Municipal Archives Blog. The Municipal Archives preserves and makes available New York City government’s historical records. Records include office documents, manuscripts, still and moving images, vital records, maps, blueprints, and sound recordings. Learn more about historical records the Municipal Archives at their website.Illustrations, from above, from the Mayor LaGuardia Collection, New York City Municipal Archives: A subway car of the Independent Subway Line with a public service announcement from Doublemint Gum, ca. 1940s; Fiorello La Guardia, ca. 1940s; a newspaper article on the gum campaign, December 4, 1939; and a Wrigley’s ‘Juicy Fruit’ chewing gum wrapper with the public service announcement “Use this wrapper to dispose of gum.”
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
ephemeralnewyorkMay 13Around 1964, Hagstrom published a road map of New York City—the old-fashioned folding kind that always ended up in a creased mess. And it reveals some interesting changes in the cityscape over the past 60 years.
Back then, subway routes were noted as either the IRT, BMT, or Independent line; the Metropolitan Opera House stood at Broadway and 39th Street; and the neighborhood about to be rechristened the East Village was a vast and empty space simply labeled “East Side.”
But the “High Spots in New York” map, as Hagstrom called it, reveals even more differences between the city of the 1960s and contemporary Gotham in the map’s sidebars, which list places of interest worth visiting.
Skyscrapers worth a look include the Singer Tower, born in 1908 and demolished in 1968. Nightlife suggestions feature the Village Gate and Sammy’s Bowery Follies, both vanished. Movie theater options include the Greenwich, formerly on Greenwich Avenue and 12th Street (now a gym), and the Gramercy, once on Lexington Avenue and 23rd Street.
But I think the biggest changes are in two lists the map provides: one of hospitals, the other of department stores.
The New York of today is a city with a handful of huge hyphenated hospital conglomerates. But look at the hospitals from 1964.
St. Luke’s and Roosevelt are separate entities, St. Vincent’s serves the Village, University hasn’t been renamed NYU Langone, and Sydenham, which opened in 1892 on East 116th Street, operated in West Harlem. (It closed in 1980.)
The department store list is a little heartbreaking for New Yorkers who remember the city as a department store wonderland. Of the 21 stores on this list, I count only four that still stand: Macy’s, Saks, Bergdorf’s, and Bloomingdale’s.
It’s not that the city was better off with more small hospitals or a larger selection of department stores. But it’s jarring to see the differences between 1960s New York and the Manhattan we live in today laid out so starkly on a 60-year-old road map.
A SPECIAL VISITORMelissa
Pflum, the great-granddaughter of Franklin D. Roosevelt, visited the kiosk on Sunday. Melissa is the granddaughter of Eliot Roosevelt and the daughter of James Roosevelt. She and her family spent part of Mother’s Day visiting the island.
CREDITS:
EPHEMERAL NEW YORK
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Blackwell’s Almanac: The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Ancestry RIHS How Did American and British English Become Different? Grand Central Madison: Some Photos and Facts
Text by Judith Berdy Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website Edited by Deborah Dorff All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated
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State of the City Project Will Protect 100,000 New Yorkers From Coastal Storms, Create 400 Construction Jobs
NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the groundbreaking of Battery Coastal Resilience, a critical, $200-million component of the overall Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency strategy. Led by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks), and the Mayor’s Office of Climate & Environmental Justice (MOCEJ), Battery Coastal Resilience — a key initiative announced in Mayor Adams’ State of the City address earlier this year — will rebuild and elevate the wharf promenade in The Battery, staying true to the character and uses of the park while protecting against projected sea level rise in the year 2100. The project is expected to be complete in 2026 and will protect the 100,000 residents, 300,000 jobs, and 12,000 businesses that call lower Manhattan home. Additionally, the project will create 400 construction jobs.
Mayor Adams today also called on the federal government to create a regular, recurring source of federal funding for coastal infrastructure that would enable New York City to complete critical resiliency projects. For every $1 invested in coastal infrastructure projects, $6 is saved in recovery costs. A regular, recurring funding program would help New York City more reliably access federal funding for crucial projects to protect more New Yorkers from climate change hazards.
“We’re building a more resilient, more sustainable city for today’s New Yorkers and for generations to come, and our coastal resiliency projects are key pieces of that work,” said Mayor Adams. “The Battery Coastal Resilience project will help protect Lower Manhattan from the stronger storms that climate change is bringing while ensuring that New Yorkers can still enjoy the beautiful green space and cultural icons that The Battery has come to be known for. We’re investing billions in green and grey infrastructure across the city to ensure that New York City is ready for whatever Mother Nature can throw at us. And because the need for these projects isn’t going away any time soon, we need the federal government to establish reliable sources of funding for key coastal resiliency work across the country.”
“Climate change is the defining fight of our generation; the Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency strategy is a bold effort to protect this jewel of a city. It is also just one tool in a huge and growing toolkit that we are using to protect not just Manhattan but all five boroughs against heat, stronger storms, increased rain, and even smoke,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “From barrier walls to protect us from storm surges to bluebelts to capture rain, we need to commit to every component of our broad-based fight against this crisis. And we need every tool — with better, faster, cheaper capital delivery — to ensure we win.”
“As we made clear in the recently-published Green Economy Action Plan, the City of New York is the world’s leader on climate-forward policies, which includes upgrading our built environment to be more resilient in the face of more frequent and more powerful storms,” said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. “I’d like to thank my colleagues across city government for their collaboration on this project, with special thanks to EDC. With this groundbreaking, we are mitigating the threat of sea-level rise to lower Manhattan for decades to come and advancing the city’s position as a global pioneer in the fight against climate change.”
According to the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC), coastal New York City is experiencing higher rates of sea level rise than the global average. NPCC projects, at the higher end, 23 inches of sea level rise by the 2050s and 65 inches of sea level rise by 2100. The project will protect New Yorkers from that sea level rise and will include the reconstruction of the deteriorating wharf; preservation and enhancement of the park’s character, gardens, and community amenities; memorials and historic monuments; adaptability to future passenger ferry needs, universally accessible design principles; and more.
Battery Coastal Resilience has received a Platinum award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision program, which promotes industry-wide sustainability metrics and fosters cost-effective, energy-efficient, and adaptable long-term infrastructure investments. Battery Coastal Resilience is the first major project in the city to meet the commitments of the NYC Clean Construction Accelerator of reducing embodied emissions by over 50 percent. Battery Coastal Resilience will use low-carbon and recycled materials, and it will reduce truck traffic through using barge transportation. This equates to the removal of more than 2,000 trucks from the roadways in Lower Manhattan, avoiding approximately 400 metric tons of carbon emissions. Battery Coastal Resilience exemplifies the way that mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change can be complementary in major capital projects. This strategy will be critical as more coastal resiliency projects continue throughout the city and raises the bar to achieve for future climate solutions. Battery Coastal Resilience exemplifies the way that mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change can be complementary in major capital projects.
Map of Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency Projects. Credit: NYCEDC
Also highlighted today was the South Battery Park City Resiliency Project (SBPCR), a Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency initiative led by the Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) and currently under construction adjacent to the Battery Coastal Resilience site. Creating a physical tie-in with Battery Coastal Resilience, SBPCR will create an integrated coastal flood risk management system extending along the northern border of Battery Park, across Pier A Plaza, through a rebuilt Wagner Park, and to the Museum of Jewish Heritage.
Under the Adams administration, the city is embarking on historic, multibillion-dollar work to fight climate hazards and advance environmental justice. The projects in The Battery are part of over $1.7 billion in Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency climate adaptation capital investments. These investments include the $350 million Brooklyn Bridge-Montgomery Coastal Resilience, which began construction in fall of 2022. Construction is also advancing on the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project, with the first two public areas opening in 2022 and 2023, and other coastal projects are in progress in all five boroughs. For example, as part of the city’s citywide efforts to reduce coastal risk, the administration recently completed construction on the Old Howard Beach Street project, which will protect New Yorkers from what would have been routine tidal flooding in 2050.
“Climate change presents a real, ongoing threat to New York City, and Lower Manhattan in particular,” said New York City Chief Climate Officer andNew York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala. “These coastal resiliency projects are important steps toward protecting the area against rising sea levels, flooding, and extreme weather events that continue to happen more frequently. DEP is proud to be a part of New York City’s efforts to improve The Battery’s resilience against climate change and ensure that Lower Manhattan remains a vibrant neighborhood for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy for many years to come.”
“The Battery first became a critical part of Lower Manhattan’s coastal defenses 400 years ago. Today, we are building on that history to respond to the new threat of rising seas, while also restoring its magnificent gardens and enhancing its iconic views,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Parks is proud of our work with our partners on this urgent project to replace the deteriorated wharf and esplanade with a new, higher structure, providing uninterrupted ferry access to the Statue of Liberty for many decades to come and increasing accessibility to the waterfront, using sustainable construction methods and protecting the park’s character.”
“”Battery Coastal Resilience is a key part of our strategy to protect our ever-evolving shorelines from the intensifying impacts of climate change,” said MOCEJ Executive Director Elijah Hutchinson. “New York City is executing complex coastal resilience projects in our dense urban environment and this project is a window into the future of sustainable and clean construction practices where we use our waterways and marine highway instead of trucks, and where we use low-carbon and recycled materials for construction in a cost-effective way that reduces construction impacts to our neighbors.”
“The Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency project sets the standard for future projects of this kind, marrying coastal protection with an ambitious sustainability agenda,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Breaking ground on the Battery Coastal Resiliency portion of Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency marks a huge win in advancing the work to protect our city from future sea-level rising and flooding due to climate change. NYCEDC is thrilled to work on this with MOCEJ and NYC Parks to deliver a sustainable and resilient future for all New Yorkers.”
“DDC installed the city’s first flood gate on Manhattan’s east side in 2022, and we are cumulatively building 3.2 miles of shoreline protection from the Brooklyn Bridge up to East 25th Street,” said New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner Thomas Foley. “Soon we will start similar work in Red Hook, Brooklyn. These projects are protecting New Yorkers in NYCHA and other housing, as well as important public buildings such as firehouse and clinics, from the effects of future storms and anticipated tidal flooding. They also are an opportunity to enhance public recreation spaces and expand access to the river, which our Lower Manhattan resiliency projects are doing. We opened the improved Stuyvesant Cove Park last summer and this fall we anticipate opening the first parts of the new East River Park.”
“Superstorm Sandy pushed nearly 10 feet of damaging salt water over The Battery that submerged much of Lower Manhattan, including our subways and vehicular tunnels. With shovels in the ground on these coastal protection projects, we are one step closer to safeguarding this critical part of New York City,” said DEP Deputy Commissioner for Coastal Resilience Laurian Farrell. “Similarly, after years of planning and working with our federal partners and local communities, we anticipate several additional coastal protection projects to get under way soon, including in Brooklyn and on Staten Island.”
“I thank Mayor Adams and all of those in city government who have been working hard for years to envision and put forth comprehensive initiatives to create and protect resilient communities in Lower Manhattan and across the city, including this Battery Coastal Resilience initiative, which is critical piece of the puzzle,”said New York State Senator Brian Kavanagh. “I am especially pleased that this project includes rebuilding and elevating the wharf promenade in The Battery. While plans like this one will no doubt need to be reviewed and augmented as the years go by, the city has been engaging with the local community for some time now and is taking decisive action today toward preserving this area in the face of the growing threat of climate change.”
“Resiliency infrastructure is key to New York City’s very survival: sea levels may rise as much as 5.4 feet by the end of the century, threatening the 20 percent of our city lying in a floodplain,” said New York State Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar. “The $200 million Battery Coastal Resilience project, part of the greater Lower Manhattan Coastal Resiliency, is a cornerstone of our plan to withstand and recover from increasingly intense storms. This project will utilize an enhanced drainage system, salt-tolerant trees and plantings, and permeable pavers to safeguard 100,000 of our fellow New Yorkers from the devastation of climate change. We will also use this project as an opportunity to rebuild the wharf, beautify the park, and make it inviting and accessible for all. This plan is advancing our goal of making New York City.”
“My district knows all too well the need for increased resiliency to protect against future weather events,” said New York City Councilmember Joann Ariola. “This project will go a long way towards protecting the people of Manhattan, and I hope that it expands to safeguard other portions of the city as well.”
“New York City and State partners are at work across Lower Manhattan to adapt our coastline to our changing climate and, in the process, reinvent incredible new public spaces along the waterfront we all cherish,” said BPCA president and CEO Raju Mann. “Lower Manhattanites have a front-row seat to the threats presented by more frequent and intense storms, and with the leadership of Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams, we’re addressing these challenges head-on.”
“As the climate crisis bears down and the impacts of extreme weather become greater and more frequent, it is absolutely essential that New York City takes steps now to build up its coastal resilience before it’s too late,” said Julie Tighe, president, New York League of Conservation Voters. “NYLCV applauds Mayor Adams for launching the Battery Coastal Resilience project, which is a key component of ensuring Lower Manhattan is protected from rising sea levels and remains a robust center of commerce for generations to come.
“The Waterfront Alliance is pleased to see yet more progress in New York City’s initiatives to work against the acceleration of climate change,” said Cortney Koenig Worrall, president and CEO, Waterfront Alliance. “The Battery Coastal Resilience Project is a vital step forward in the coastal protection portfolio for lower Manhattan. With each new project the city gains the resources, skills, and experience that must bring similar projects faster to neighborhoods across all five boroughs. Projects that combine resilient infrastructure with waterfront access for boats, ferries, and recreation are essential for a city surrounded by water. We are motivated to continuing to partner and work with the city’s climate teams as the agenda continues to be defined and as tools are developed to deliver infrastructure more quickly.”
“The Battery Coastal Resilience will help protect the residents and businesses that call Lower Manhattan home from rising sea levels while ensuring the park retains its character and its historical significance,” said Jessica Lappin, president, Downtown Alliance. “Lower Manhattan’s unparalleled access to the waterfront helps set us apart, and we’re encouraged to see tangible progress on this crucially important project.”
“The city’s investment in fortifying the Battery’s coastal defenses is vital to safeguarding this historic neighborhood and iconic public spaces from the increasing threat of storm surge and sea level rise,” said Alice Blank, vice chair, Manhattan Community Board 1. “New York is leading the way in climate resiliency by undertaking critical infrastructure upgrades in vulnerable areas like the Battery to protect residents, businesses, and treasured landmarks for generations to come.”
A Brilliant Idea
This summer Rockefeller Center has turned the skating rink into a sitting area for tired tourists and a great place to bring your bag lunch and toss a beanbag.
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.
ephemeralnewyorkMay 13Around 1964, Hagstrom published a road map of New York City—the old-fashioned folding kind that always ended up in a creased mess. And it reveals some interesting changes in the cityscape over the past 60 years.
