One of the sites I am studying as a researcher on Right To The City’s alternative land and housing report is the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative in Bronx, New York. The oldest limited equity housing cooperative in the United States, its birth cannot be understood without acknowledging the context of labor and immigration struggles in New York City.
Amalgamated was the first intentional community in New York City. Its history is deeply tied with that of ethnic union workers in the city. At the turn of the 20th century, New York City saw a vast influx of immigrants living in deplorable conditions in places like the Lower East Side. Many labored in sweatshop-like conditions and faced oppressive bosses as well as landlords. As a result, many looked to unions like the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America (ACWA) to provide community and protection. The post World War I period was marked by a worsening housing condition; droves of returning veterans and thousands fleeing a war-ravaged Europe spawned a severe housing shortage that initiated and was fueled by aggressive speculation. This drove the mostly Jewish members of the ACWA to demand for a different world, looking to their labor associations for its realization.
Spearheaded by the Secretary-Treasurer of the ACWA’s credit union, Abraham E. Kazan, and supported by Sidney Hillman, President of the ACWA, a sparsely populated area in north Bronx became the site of this dream. Inspired by the Rochdale Principles, the Amalgamated Housing Cooperative was formed in 1927 as the nation’s first housing cooperative project. Their founding principles included voluntary and open membership, democratic governance, surpluses belonging to cooperative members, no social or political discrimination, education of members and the public in the cooperative movement, cooperation with other cooperatives, and care for the community.
In 1927, the first building was built. This was no ordinary housing building: it was five stories high with windows that got good views and lots of light, had high ceilings, hardwood floors and tiled bathrooms, giving it a sense of luxury previously absent in the Lower East Side slums. Its design features reflected the original blue-collar guiding vision for the Amalgamated Cooperative. For example, bedrooms had cross ventilation so workers could get better sleep, kitchens were eat-ins with a window so that women could both cook and serve. As the buildings grew, the community did too, incorporating parks, schools, markets, a library, health facilities, and religious, social and cultural organizations.
Now, Amalgamated is home to 1482 families in 11 buildings. It is not only responsible for housing its residents, but also takes on co-op education and community activities. There are activities for cooperators of all ages, from playgroup and nursery for toddlers through a NORC Program for seniors (NORC- Naturally Occurring Retirement Community).
Fig 1: Map of Amalgamated Housing Cooperative Buildings
Fig 2: Neighborhood Map (Bronx)
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This is a great story and nearly all of the proper names you mention — Sidney Hillman, Abraham Kazan, Rochdale, Amalgamated — play a part in the development of cooperative and publicly-funded housing in the decades to follow. In fact, there’s also controversy around some of these developments, even today, as they have often been accused of relying on racial hierarchies (much as the unions did from time to time.) Note sure if this story interests you, but I can recommend some reading if you like! 🙂