Revitalization of a public housing development / Completion 2008

The revitalization of two older New York City Housing Authority sites with 31 buildings is funded under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Hope VI Program. The design goal was to unify the two sites (formerly Arverne-Edgemere) as Ocean Bay Apartments with a new residential image to attract mixed-income tenants. The program called for new lobbies, façade restoration and enhancement, and tenant patrol spaces with a central security system. The project was in association with Dattner Architects, who were responsible for the larger Bayside Houses, while James McCullar Architecture was responsible for Oceanside Houses with 7 buildings, as shown above.

The Oceanside interventions - restoration of the masonry facades, addition of parapets and cast stone lintels and string courses, typical floor lobby glazing and lobby extensions - have given a new life to this 1950’s plain brick public housing.