How the Construction of My 1950s, NYC Housing Cooperative was Delayed by Several Strikes — and Why That Was a Good Thing

I revisit the construction of Morningside Gardens and the labor issues reported in the co-op’s documents at the time. This project provides a fascinating window into labor relations in that era of peak union membership and power.

Introduction

Since 2008, my spouse and I have lived in Morningside Gardens, a housing cooperative in New York City. Established in 1957, it is located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan and has six 21-story residential buildings with nearly 1,000 apartments.

Morningside Gardens arose from the federal 1949 Housing Act. The era was marked by a wave of projects to create affordable cooperative and public housing in New York City. Sponsored by neighborhood institutions like Columbia University, Riverside Church, and Union Theological Seminary, Morningside Gardens was part of a larger development which also included two nearby low-income housing projects, General Grant Houses and Manhattanville Houses, both now part of the city’s public housing system.

Groundbreaking ceremony, September 16, 1955 (from The Historical Background of Morningside Gardens)