Gowanus Houses, located in Brooklyn’s Boerum Hill, are surrounded by Bond Street, Hoyt Street, Douglass Street, and Baltic Street. The NYCHA complex opened its operations in 1949 having 16 six-to-fourteen-story high buildings and over 1,100 apartments which accommodate over 2,700 people as their home.
One of the first post-war built public housing complexes, Gowanus Houses were designed to provide the working-class family with decent and safe living while the city proper was being rebuilt. Those that had a lot of courtyard and open space out of the buildings fell prey to a mid-century ideal of wholesome community-style living.
Later on, however, as is so much too common with so many of the NYCHA developments, Gowanus Houses then became plagued by maintenance, aged physical plant, and safety concerns—most notably in the latter half of the 20th century when rot and vice descended upon surrounding neighborhoods.
Despite all these decades, the Gowanus Houses endured and retained a gritty, solid community. They have been outspoken regarding demands for repairs and improved living conditions, sometimes in coalition with tenant associations and community groups.
Notable former residents include the late rapper Pop Smoke, who spent part of his early life in the development before rising to prominence as a leading voice in Brooklyn’s drill music scene.
Ultimately, Gowanus Houses reflect the larger NYCHA story—aging buildings balanced by a deep well of community strength, cultural resilience, and pride of place. For generations of residents, it remains not just public housing, but home!
