This week, we continue our series of deep dives into the histories of storied addresses.
A view of the Greenpoint Hospital complex from across Jackson Street, on the corner with Kingsland Ave. On the right are buildings owned by the Neighborhood Women Legacy Project, one of the original founders of GREC.
This past September, New York City’s housing department announced plans to convert the entirety of the long-abandoned Greenpoint Hospital complex into over 500 units of affordable housing and 200 units of housing for the homeless. The new project grows out of a nearly three-decade battle between the city and a number of Greenpoint neighborhood community organizations. But a deeper look at the history of this plot of land reveals that the complex’s commitment to working class, underserved families reaches further back. The recent announcement to transform this historic and often contentious space into a community-supported and designed project represents a victorious new chapter in a longstanding legacy.