A Historic Effort at Randolph Houses
The total renovation of Harlem’s historic Randolph Houses is now complete, thanks to the efforts of NYCHA and a range of partners from the public and private sectors.
Randolph Houses’ 36 buildings on West 114th Street were built in the 1890s and acquired by NYCHA in the 1970s. The first phase of the renovations, which was completed in 2016, involved a $96 million gut rehab of 22 buildings, resulting in 147 totally renovated public housing apartments and 20 affordable housing apartments. The second phase, completed this fall, involved a $64 million renovation of the other 14 buildings across the street, producing another 114 apartments affordable to very low- and low-income households.
The new buildings are now wheelchair-accessible and energy efficient, and their historic character has been preserved. In addition, they now feature new indoor and outdoor community space, including a library, computer rooms, laundry rooms, play areas for children, and gardening and barbecue areas. Onsite social services for residents are available, such as referrals for services, home visits for seniors, and in-house programming covering health and wellness, computer technology, financial literacy, afterschool services, and the creative arts.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the restoration and revitalization of the historic A. Philip Randolph Houses, helping the City get closer to its affordable housing goals,” said NYCHA’s Interim Chair and CEO Stanley Brezenoff. “The completion of the Randolph Houses final stage to renovate public housing and build new affordable options for low-income families is important as we strive to ensure the city stays diverse and affordable for future generations. We are grateful to all our partners who have made this transformation possible, including the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development, the NYC Housing Development Corporation, Trinity Financial, West Harlem Group Assistance, Red Stone Equity Partners, Bank of New York Mellon, and of course, the residents and community members.”
Robertus Coleman, President of the Randolph Houses Resident Task Force, added: “After many years, we finally celebrate a new and improved Randolph Houses. The completed renovation signals a rebirth for long-time residents like myself who have long dreamed of this day, for new residents who now call this home, for the Randolph Houses community, and for Harlem. We are incredibly grateful [to all the] organizations that helped make this dream a reality and look forward to the next chapter at Randolph Houses.”
