Form Matters: A History of Tenements in Harlem
Places of significance in Harlem's housing history: Activism in response to inequity, and inequity of the response through maintenance.
Overview
Form Matters: A History of Tenements in Harlem is a project concieved under the direction of Bilge Kos, professor at Columbia University for the course entitled "Digital Heritage Documentation". The research conducted was derived from the "Studio 2" core course taught by Erica Avrami and Morgan O'Hara on the Environmental (In)Justice in the Harlem community over time.
Timeline of Policy Reform
Policy was able to enforce quality and regulation of building design and housing conditions throughout Manhattan at large.
1800-1880
Buildings which had once been single-family dwellings were increasingly divided into multiple-dwelling living spaces to accommodate the growing immigrant populations to Manhattan at Large.
Prior to 1867
Prior to 1867, tenements had few restrictions or requirements through law or through ownership.
1867
Tenement Housing Act: Legally defined a 'tenement' for the first time, and set construction regulations. This legal definition brought on the first standards for minimum room size, ventilation, and sanitation in tenement dwellings. By enforcing mandatory codes, the placement of a window in every room and shared wash closets were incorporated into tenement design.
1879
The Pre-Law Tenements were banned in 1879 as the local Manhattan government further expanded the Tenement Act. Those built after 1879 are what we now refer to as Old-Law Tenements, which accounted for 48% of housing typologies in Harlem as of 1969.
1900
More than 80,000 tenements had been built in New York City at large. They housed a population of 2.3 million people, two-thirds of the city's total population of around 3.4 million.
1901
In 1901 further amendments were made, which promoted rehabilitation of deteriorating tenements, with new builds under this act being referred to as New-Law Tenements, built between 1901 and 1929. These amendments mandated better lighting and fireproofing, and most important of all, the law required that outhouses or prives must be replaced with indoor toilet facilities connected to city sewers, with one toilet for every two apartments.
1927
The State Legislature declared that the Tenement House Law had “outlived its usefulness” and replaced it with the Multiple Dwelling Act, which is still in place today.
1929
The "Multiple Dwelling Law" took shape.
1950s
By this time the enactment of the "Multiple Dwelling Law" led to many of the older tenement-style typologies to be demolished.
1960s
There was a nation-wide trend toward rehabilitation of older housing typologies.
1963
Marked the official start to the Harlem Rent Strike. Over the course of this event, hundreds of tenants and community leaders filled Harlem's Millbank Centre in protest of 'inhumane' living conditions.
1984
This was the latest findings from a housing study conducted where close to 6,400 old-law tenement apartments were converted into co-op or condominium living.
1989
The U.S.A EPA established the Federal Interagency Committee on Indoor Air Quality
Places, Corridors, and Organizations of Significance
As the studio undertook research into the historic contects of Harlem and its history of housing, places of significance were discovred, from physical to social assets that have/had a place-based dimension.
To the right is an interactive map. Through the command tools in the bottom right corner of the map, you are able to zoom in and out, and pan by clicking and holding.
Boundary of Study Area
Bound by 110th Street to the South, 155th Street to the North, Hudson River to the West, and Harlem River to the East.
Physical Sites of Importance
Shown in blue on the map to the right are significant buildings and sites to the housing reform movement in Harlem.
Those selected are tenements which were mentioned in historic newspapers, literature, and housing reports conducted by the City of New York.
Corridors of Importance
Along the corridors highlighted in green are where significant events took place in the fight for more just living conditions.
Rally's such as the Harlem Rat Strike, which marched along 114th Street along with other major outdoor events are highlighted here.
Integral Organizations
Shown to the right in yellow, are identified organizations who's mission was and is now, to help those who live in Harlem fight and speak out for just, affordable, and comfortable housing in Harlem.
Click on the buttons below to learn more about each organization
Interactive Stories
Click on the higlighted assets below to read into the history of sites, corridors and organizations, then click again on each asset on the map to learn about specific histories.
Form Matters: Physical Change
A study of the formal shape of tenements conducted through solar radiation studies
An Overview of Tenements Over Time:
below show the (slow) implimentation of access to sunlight and air into flats
Activism as Response
Written by Shannon Trono and Mimi Vaughan
While the establishment of these acts seemed to provide equitable access to housing, many government-sponsored and distributed rehabilitation materials still referred to substandard or insanitary areas as “slums” or “blighted areas,” a choice in rhetoric that propels the negative narrative of the “types of people” who live in areas like Harlem. Urban renewal and rehabilitation pitfalls ultimately failed to address ulterior factors contributing to neighborhood decay and poverty like rampant drug use, addiction, prostitution, and homelessness. As the policy was changing for Tenement living in the mid-century, many activists, community groups, and organizations helped lead the fight for adequate housing. Jesse Gray is arguably one of the most influential housing reform advocates. Mr. Gray, a prolific tenement activist, was the leader and founder of the Harlem Tenants Council. This community organization rallied Harlemites to band together to advocate for improved housing conditions. In 1963, Gray helped facilitate rent strikes to protest subhuman living conditions in collaboration with other local activist groups.
Historic Newspaper Articles Written: Covering Activism in Harlem
Response to Activism
The 'rehabilitation' of 114th Street homes:
Rehabilitation was framed as the ideal, cost-efficient solution to address poor living conditions in dilapidated tenements. The West 114th Street project emerged as more than just another New York example of a growing nationwide trend toward rehabilitation in the late 1960s. Instead, it became a national example.
The publication also included a chapter entitled “The Spirit Restored,” which detailed how the transformation of interior space poured out into the streets of Harlem: “The Mangums’ response to the rehabilitation project has been the typical response of any American family when it is offered an opportunity to solve its problems. People are quick to take advantage of the help. They are equally quick to devise ways to help themselves. And by becoming involved with their neighbors’ efforts, they are taking the first steps towards helping others.”