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The
following images and text are courtesy Louise
Braverman for her design of the Chelsea Court Apartments
in New York City. Click on images for larger views. [Google
Earth link]
In the early 1990's Chelsea Court, a SRO on the brink of
collapse, was used as a crack den. Over time, the neighborhood
grew weary of the street crime which goes hand in hand with
a neglected building. Frustrated with the city's lack of response
to the problem, Block Association members finally called former
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani on his weekly radio show. That call
turned the tide and the city took possession of the building,
mandating that the property be developed into affordable housing
for New York City's disadvantaged residents. The 17th Street
Block Association invited Palladia (then Project Return Foundation)
to develop the building into supportive permanent housing
for previously homeless and low-income tenants.
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