About Us - Pelham Parkway Houses

🏢 Pelham Parkway Houses — A History

📍 Location & Overview

Pelham Parkway Houses is a public housing development located in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood of the Bronx, New York City.1 It is part of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), which is the largest public housing authority in North America.1

🏗️ Construction & Design

Its 1,266 apartments are scattered over a campus-type setting in 23 six-story brick buildings erected in 1950. They are not classic public housing high-rises.2 There are notable Art Deco tiles outside the lobbies.2 The development covers a significant portion of the Bronx landscape, and before it was built, surrounding streets cut through the site, with walk-up apartments and small stores. Barnes and Matthews avenues once connected Astor Avenue and the Pelham Parkway — but no longer.3

🏘️ Purpose & Housing

The development was designed to provide affordable housing for low-income residents, and the apartments are subsidized by the government. The development includes a mix of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom, and four-bedroom units.1 Amenities within the development include community centers, playgrounds, and outdoor recreational spaces.1

🌆 The Broader Neighborhood Context

The neighborhood of Pelham Parkway itself has a rich history. Work on Pelham Parkway began in the 1890s under the direction of the New York City Department of Parks, with the intention of linking two great parks via a scenic drive lined with trees and promenades. The parkway’s completion in the early 1900s laid the groundwork for the residential neighborhood that would rise beside it decades later.4

While other areas of the Bronx experienced disinvestment during the 1970s, Pelham Parkway remained remarkably intact. Its high rate of homeownership, strong tenant associations, and active community organizations — such as the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association — helped prevent the arson and abandonment that devastated nearby neighborhoods.4

👥 Community Role

In addition to serving as a home for many families, Pelham Parkway Houses have also played an important role in the community. The development has hosted various events and programs, including a summer youth employment program, community centers, and health clinics.1

⚠️ Challenges Over the Years

Maintenance & Infrastructure

Over the years, Pelham Parkway Houses have faced various challenges related to maintenance, safety, and security.1 Reports have pointed to a general lack of upkeep throughout the complex. NYCHA’s sheer physical problems — lead paint, leaks, heat and hot-water failures — seem insurmountable.3 Residents have also reported ongoing issues with broken security buzzers and inconsistent heat and hot water service.

Crime & Safety

It was the first murder in the Pelham Parkway Houses in 30 years, although there have been other serious crimes, including drug dealing and gang activity both inside and immediately around it.5

A landmark tragedy occurred in June 2012: Police were still hunting for the killer of 88-year-old Evelyn Shapiro, brutally murdered June 16, 2012, inside her sixth-floor apartment at the Pelham Parkway Houses during an apparent push-in robbery as she was returning with groceries.5 The death of 88-year-old Evelyn Shapiro had residents of the Pelham Parkway Houses on edge, and they called an emergency meeting in response.6

In the aftermath, Yvonne Lewis, who had lived in the Pelham Parkway Houses for 18 years, said the violence made her consider moving, but added that she thought a residents’ patrol could make a difference.7 Since the first murder in June, police patrols increased around the housing development.7

📷 Security Camera Initiative

In 2014, there were plans to add 375 security cameras, two years after the original city funding was approved in the wake of a murder in the complex.8

City Councilman James Vacca arranged $4 million in funds to install cameras and fix locks at the public housing project in an attempt to curb an alarming increase of gang and drug-related crime in the eastern section of the Bronx.6 The councilman also allocated $4.6 million for security cameras for the Pelham Parkway Houses and the Throggs Neck Houses, both public projects that house the elderly.9

The President of the Pelham Parkway Residents Association, Herma Williams, publicly thanked City Council Member James Vacca “for providing the funds which will begin the process of getting a state-of-the-art layered access control security system installed.”10

🔄 Re-Streeting Proposals & Future Planning

The Pelham Parkway Houses in the east Bronx, which comprises 23 six-story brick buildings and 1,266 apartments, has been studied as a case for “re-streeting.” Extending Barnes and Matthews avenues through the development once again would end its isolation, giving pedestrians and cyclists a route straight through well-lit avenues, which would also offer new and different types of private housing.3

Some 270 new units were envisioned, including four-family walk-up apartment buildings, two-family townhouses, and eight-story elevator buildings.3 The income segregation of NYCHA would be mitigated by new, privately housed tenants and homeowners — in a neighborhood where small homeowners are already common.3

🤝 Ongoing Improvements

NYCHA has been working with community organizations and other stakeholders to improve the quality of life for residents and ensure that the development remains a safe and vibrant place to live.1

Pelham Parkway Houses stands as a microcosm of NYCHA’s broader challenges and aspirations — a community built with the intention of providing dignified, affordable housing, yet one that has had to continually fight against neglect, underfunding, and crime, while its residents have consistently shown resilience and community spirit.

Pelham Parkway Houses is a New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing development in the Pelham Parkway neighborhood (sometimes associated with the Allerton section) of the Bronx, New York City.1 1

It spans about 22.3 acres (sources vary slightly up to ~23.74 acres) and features 23 six-story buildings with 1,263 apartments (total units ~1,266) that house roughly 2,297 residents. The buildings are arranged in three groups across the site, with addresses along streets including Mace Avenue, Waring Avenue, Bronxwood Avenue, Williamsbridge Road, Paulding Avenue, Astor Avenue, Wallace Avenue, and Pelham Parkway North. It is bordered roughly by Pelham Parkway, Williamsbridge Road, Wallace Avenue, and Mace Avenue.2 3

Construction and Opening (Late 1940s–1950)

The complex was developed in the post-World War II era as part of NYCHA’s expansion to address severe housing shortages for low-income families and returning veterans. Bids for the project (described as a veteran housing initiative) were set to be received on September 14, 1948.1 1

The architectural firm Rogers & Butler designed it. All 23 buildings were completed in June 1950 (with June 30, 1950, often cited as the official completion/occupancy date). The original development cost was approximately $5,031,405.1 2

This placed it among the many NYCHA projects built in the late 1940s and early 1950s during a major wave of public housing construction in New York City. The surrounding Pelham Parkway area had been developing since the early 20th century (with the parkway itself established around 1911 as a green, tree-lined thoroughfare), transitioning from more suburban/rural character to denser residential use, including prewar apartments and homes. The NYCHA development added a significant stock of affordable, multi-family housing in this part of the Bronx.4

Later Decades

Like other NYCHA properties from this era, Pelham Parkway Houses provided stable, subsidized housing (one- to four-bedroom units) for low-income residents. It has community amenities such as centers, playgrounds, recreational spaces, and facilities for programs like youth employment, health services, and resident events.5

Administrative notes from NYCHA records indicate it was “federalized” or transferred in an ATP (Asset Transfer Program or similar) context around October 1, 1980.2

21st Century Updates and Challenges

As with much of NYCHA’s aging portfolio, the development has dealt with ongoing maintenance, infrastructure, and safety needs.

In 2014, following a murder in the complex (and funding approved around 2012), NYCHA announced plans to install 375 security cameras to enhance safety.1
In 2023, a lawn area was transformed into a community garden through a partnership with GrowNYC, providing green space and resident engagement.6
In 2025, significant infrastructure upgrades were completed at Pelham Parkway Houses (along with other Bronx and citywide sites), including facade renovations, elevator modernizations, and heating system improvements. These were funded by substantial state investments (part of over $1.2 billion leveraged across NYCHA properties).7 8

The development continues to operate under NYCHA management (TDS #039 / AMP #039, managed by the Pelham Parkway office) and serves as a key source of affordable housing in the neighborhood. It hosts various resident services and community programs aimed at maintaining a safe and vibrant environment despite typical public housing challenges.2

Note on sources: Some unofficial or resident-oriented sites list slightly differing details (e.g., construction in 1949 or different building counts), but official NYCHA data, Wikipedia (sourced to contemporary reports), and archival references consistently support the 23-building, June 1950 completion profile.1 2

For the most current operational details, resident resources, or specific building information, checking the official NYCHA website or contacting the development’s management office is recommended, as public housing undergoes ongoing repairs and policy changes.