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A Towering Legacy: The History of the Taft Houses in East Harlem

The Senator Robert A. Taft Houses, a prominent New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) development, have been a defining feature of the East Harlem skyline for over six decades. Completed in 1962, this sprawling complex of nine 19-story buildings embodies the ambitious and controversial era of mid-20th-century urban renewal that reshaped the neighborhood and the city at large.1

The Taft Houses were designed by the architectural firm of DeYoung, Moskowitz & Rosenberg and are situated between 112th and 115th Streets, from Fifth Avenue to Park Avenue. Their construction was part of a massive “slum clearance” initiative that saw the demolition of 137 acres of older, low-rise tenement buildings across Harlem to make way for “tower in the park” projects. This design philosophy aimed to replace dense, aging housing with tall, modern buildings set within green, open spaces, providing residents with more light and air. The Taft Houses, along with neighboring developments like the Johnson Houses (1948), King Towers (1954), and Jefferson Houses (1959), dramatically altered the physical and social fabric of East Harlem.

The development is named after Senator Robert A. Taft, a Republican from Ohio who, despite his conservative reputation, played a key role in the passage of the Housing Act of 1949.2 This federal legislation was instrumental in funding the construction of 810,000 low-income housing units across the nation, fueling the wave of public housing construction in cities like New York.2

For many families, moving into the Taft Houses represented a significant improvement in their quality of life, offering modern amenities that were absent in the old-law tenements they left behind. However, this progress came at a cost. The large-scale demolition displaced established communities and the businesses that served them, a process that was often met with protest.

Over the decades, the Taft Houses, like many NYCHA properties, have contended with significant challenges. Aging infrastructure has led to persistent maintenance issues, including water main breaks and fires that have disrupted the lives of thousands of residents.3

In recent years, there have been concerted efforts to address these long-standing problems. The Taft Houses are part of NYCHA’s Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) program, a federal initiative that allows the housing authority to partner with private and non-profit developers to fund and manage comprehensive renovations.4 These upgrades are expected to include modernizing apartments with new kitchens and bathrooms, improving building systems, and enhancing security and outdoor spaces.45

Despite the historical and ongoing challenges, the Taft Houses remain a vital source of affordable housing for a large community in East Harlem.16 Community engagement and art projects have also sought to foster a sense of resilience and pride among residents.7 The history of the Taft Houses is a complex narrative of urban transformation, reflecting both the idealistic goals of post-war public housing and the enduring struggles for safe, decent, and affordable homes in New York City.

Namesake: Senator Robert A. Taft

Taft Houses is named after Robert A. Taft (1889–1953). 15The elder son of William Howard Taft, the 27th president of the United States and 10th chief justice of the United States, Robert Taft was born in Cincinnati, Ohio.

11 Robert A. Taft was a Republican leader in the U.S. Senate for 14 years (1939–53) whose espousal of traditional conservatism won him the sobriquet “Mr. Republican”.

Despite his conservative reputation, Taft was a key sponsor of progressive housing legislation. 17He did, however, support social security and public housing. 17Moving a bit to the left, he supported federal aid to education (which did not pass) and cosponsored the Taft-Wagner-Ellender Housing Act to subsidize public housing in inner cities.

15 He was reluctant to support farm subsidies, a position that hurt the GOP in rural areas (especially in the Midwest) in the 1948 elections. Taft engineered the passage of the Housing Act of 1949, which funded slum clearance and the construction of 810,000 units of low-income housing over a period of six years. 16 Taft did agree—reluctantly—to become Senate majority leader in January of 1953. Tragically, he died of cancer just seven months later, at the age of 64.

Construction and Opening

4 Taft Houses in Manhattan has nine, 19-story buildings with 1,464 apartments. Completed December 31, 1962, 12.34-acres. 8 Highlighted in white are NYCHA projects including Johnson Houses (1948), King Towers (1954), Jefferson Houses (1959), Taft Houses (1962), and Lehman Village (1963). Taft Houses was built during a major wave of public housing construction in Harlem.

Location

2 Taft Houses is located in the borough of Manhattan, with residential addresses at 1694 Madison Avenue and 1345 5th Avenue in the 10029 zip code (East Harlem).

Development Statistics

3 The development has 1,470 total units with 6,218 rental rooms. There are 9 residential buildings and 1 non-residential building, each standing 19 stories. The total area is 537,645 square feet with building/land coverage of 19.63%. The density is 221 people per acre. The development cost was $28,867,029.

Historical Context

7 NYCHA was created in 1934 to help alleviate the housing crisis caused by the Great Depression during Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia’s administration and was the first agency in the United States to provide publicly funded housing. 7 The Authority boomed in partnership with Robert Moses after World War II as a part of Moses’ plan to clear old tenements and remake New York as a modern city. 7 The majority of NYCHA developments were built between 1945 and 1965. Taft Houses falls right within this major expansion period.

Recent Renovations

6 The heat pipe infrastructure at Taft Houses is 60 years old and had not been replaced since the development was first built in 1962. 6 On March 9, NYCHA announced the completion of $28.6 million in large-scale heating system renovations: the $9.8 million installation of eight new steam and condensate pipes at Taft Houses in Harlem. 6 The underground steam distribution improvements at Taft Houses were made possible with $9.8 million in funding allocated through NYCHA’s Annual Federal Capital Grant. Later this year, the Authority will complete a complementary $3.2 million boiler upgrade at Taft Houses, made possible through a larger $200 million investment made by the City in 2018 to replace boilers and heating systems at 20 NYCHA developments with chronic heating outages. 6 Collectively, the investments ensure more reliable heat and hot water service to over 6,000 residents and are consistent with the work being done through NYCHA’s Transformation Plan.