L
to R: Amalgamated, Hillman, East River
click image to enlarge |
Amalgamated
Dwellings
Named for the Amalgamated Clothing
Workers of America, Amalgamated Dwellings is
the second cooperative housing development sponsored
by the union. The first was Amalgamated
Housing Cooperative - Bronx, which opened in 1927.
Our Amalgamated Dwellings opened
a
short time
later, around
1930. On its tenth anniversay,
a plaque was placed at the corner of Grand and Columbia
Streets, honoring the members of its original board of
directors: Henry Bruere, Adolph
Held, Sidney
Hillman, Abraham
E. Kazan, and Robert Szold.
East River
Originally, the signs outside
East River's buildings displayed "ILGWU Cooperative
Village" - named for the International Ladies
Garment Workers Union, which sponsored this development.
The
"ILGWU" has since been blacked-out on the signs.
Each of East River's 4 apartment structures is named
after individuals involved in the labor movement.
There is a plaque, with a bust of the person or
persons, near each building's center entrance.
Unfortunately,
these are partially or completely obstructed
by trees or shrubs:
Hillman
The co-op is named after Russian-born Sidney
Hillman, who was associated with the International
Lady Garment Workers
Union (ILGWU)
and who later became the president of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers of America. There, he was instrumental
in pioneering education and social programs for workers,
including low-cost cooperative housing. Sidney Hillman
was one of the original members of the board of directors
at
Amalgamated Dwellings (see above).
Each of Hillman's three structures is
named after an individual and a cornerstone at the base
of each building lists the date it opened and the name
of the individual it is named for:
Seward Park
Seward Park is named after William
H Seward. Well, technically, it's named after the
park (Seward Park) which is adjacent to the property
and
which is named after William H. Seward. Seward was
a native of this country, born in Florida. Seward was
appointed
Secretary of State by Abraham Lincoln in 1861 and negotiated
the purchase of Alaska in 1867. In addition, he served
as Governor of New York and U.S. Senator. A statue
of William H. Seward sits at the south-west corner of Madison
Square Park, in Manhattan (near the intersection of 23rd
Street, 5th Ave and Broadway.
As of this writing, there is no evidence to indicate
that the individual structures of Seward Park were named
after individuals.
However, each of the 4 buildings has a different claim to fame. Inside each
lobby, is a mural by artist Hugo
Gellert. The murals each
span the width of the central lobby area and depict Albert
Einstein, Thomas
Jefferson, Abraham
Lincoln, and Franklin
Delano Roosevelt. A controversy over the fate of the
murals is currently brewing as Seward Park considers plans
to renovate the lobbies.
Co-op
Village History
More Than Just a Name
Photo Gallery
|
