Moe’s Photos of Jacob Riis House On New York City’s Lower East Side 1977-1983

In 1977, Moe a resident of the Jacob Riis Houses decided to capture his neighborhood from East 10th Street to East 12th Street on Avenue D, Lower East Side, New York City, writes Efrain ‘Kid Love’ Rodriguez. The Summer was hot, the Son of Sam was terrorizing the streets of New York City and the New York Yankees was about to win the World Series with three home runs by Reggie Jackson. The people that lived on Avenue D was still going on as usual. The neighborhood was full of people enjoying their daily lives. The photos are from 1977 through 1983.

The Jacob Riis Houses are a public housing project managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) in the East Village in New York City. Completed on January 17, 1949 and named after photographer Jacob Riis, who exposed the living conditions of tenement dwellers on the Lower East Side, the project is located between Avenue D and the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive, spanning two superblocks from 6th Street to 13th Street. The project consists of thirteen buildings, between six and 14 stories each, containing 1,191 apartment units.

 

“Anyone remember scraping the top and bottom of tin cans on the sidewalk to funnel the water from the fire hydrant? Pre-sprinkler cap days.”

– Daniel Velez