The First Houses were built in 1935-36 under the direction of architect and housing reformer Frederick L. Ackerman for the newly established New York City Housing Authority.
This was the first public low-income housing project in the nation, endeavoring to address housing problems on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
The project, 122 three-room or four-room apartments in eight four-story buildings from 29-41 Avenue A and 112-138 East 3rd Street, was financed in part by the issuance of Housing Authority bonds, while labor and materials were furnished under a federal government New Deal work relief program.
The buildings were designated an individual New York City Landmark in 1974 and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Districts Council of New York City and Village Preservation are co-sponsoring a virtual event commemorating 90 years of the First Houses on June 24th.
Brad Greenberg, Executive Director, and Isabel Kirsch, Junior Research and Policy Fellow, at the Furman Center will give an illustrated talk on the history and significance of First Houses based on their archival research and original brief published about the project.
Following their presentation, the panelists will have a moderated conversation with Frampton Tolbert, Executive Director of the Historic Districts Council and Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Village Preservation about lessons learned from First Houses and how these lessons could be applied to housing needs citywide.
This free event will take place virtually over Zoom on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 beginning at 6 pm. Pre-registration is required here.
Read more about New York City.
Illustration: Dedication of the First Houses (Courtesy LaGuardia & Wagner Archives).
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