History:
What was once known as just merely a housing project to its tenants, has greatly developed into what over thousands of families can now consider “home”. The Richard Allen Homes, once known as The Poplar Project, was the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s first low-rent housing project to combine slum clearance with constructing new homes.[1] Richard Allen Homes was also one of the first public housing facilities to be funded by the federal government,[2] costing nearly $6,000,000[3]. Despite the challenges that the Richard Allen Homes faced, this public housing facility is unique in the sense that it can serve as a model for other public housing facilities facing the same struggles[4].
The Richard Allen Homes were built in 1939; however, the first tenants did not move into the 1,324 units distributed in 52 buildings until the spring of 1942. By the end of 1943, 24% of the residents were employed and almost half of them were employed with war work. The crime rate within Richard Allen decreased far below the citywide average[5]. Richard Allen started off good with both three and four story buildings. This facility showed other public housing facilities that low rise buildings were better than high rise because they did not need costly elevators nor high maintenance. By 1953, Richard Allen Homes were becoming noisy, vandalized, and littered with trash due to the abundant amount of people the homes contained. In the 1960s, crime notably increased in this facility and it was thus given round-the-clock security[6]. By the 1980s, it began to suffer from many of the ills, such as deteriorating conditions and mounting crime, that plagued government-run public housing projects[7].
In 1993, The Richard Allen Homes had to relocate the entire population of nearly three thousand people to a different site due to the fact that it became the destination of the largest mass-migration of people in the history of Philadelphia[8]. In 1996, the Philadelphia Housing Authority began a costly renewal of the Richard Allen Homes. Richard Allen's old dwellings were demolished and replaced with suburban development-style semi-detached homes[9]. Phase I, including the construction of the Gladys B. Jacobs Senior Building, was completed and opened in 1998. Phase II, which included the modernization of 141 homes and the addition of nine new homes, was completed in December 2001. Phase III, the construction of 178 new homes, was completed in the fall of 2003[10].
Nowadays, the Richard Allen Homes are sited around courtyards with a spacious community center, that is sandwiched in between the east and west wings. This center includes management offices, craft workshops, an auditorium, classrooms, a nursery, and a branch of The Free Library of Philadelphia[11]. This sense of community also contributed to the way the Richard Allen Homes served as a model for other projects. This community center allowed for interaction between tenants which helped to desegregate this facility. This showed other public housing facilities that private yards and not having a community center was not the best way to go. The completely redeveloped Richard Allen Homes features 408 housing units and hosts a mixed community ranging from young families to senior citizens[12]. The site is flat, repetitive, hard-surfaced, and urban in character[13]. With 52 buildings in total, 972 dwellings are in three-story buildings while 352 dwellings are in four-story buildings[14]. A typical dwelling unit consists of a living room with an adjacent kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and storage areas[15]. This living style typically suits most of the residents within Richard Allen. Although the Philadelphia Housing Authority suffered many battles with the existence of The Richard Allen Homes, it is doing a lot better today than it was during the postwar period. It is a low rise facility, it has less crimes than it did before, it does not have costly high maintenance, and it can serve as a model for other public housing facilities dealing with the same issues.
[1] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[2] "PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[3] Tribune, Philadelphia. Overview of Philadelphia’s Post World War II Public housing projects and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. PDF. Philadelphia, PA
[4] Ibid.
[5] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[6] Ibid.
[7] PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[8] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[9]PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[10] Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[11]Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[12]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[13] United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. PDF. Philadelphia, PA.
[14] United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. PDF. Philadelphia, PA.
[15]Ibid.
Design:
This facility, located in North Philadelphia, consists of eight blocks in total, and hosts a majority of African American families. Unlike many other facilities, Richard Allen was able to stay the way it was since the time it was first constructed until present day. This is due to the fact that The Philadelphia Housing Authority was able to fit many apartments into a little amount of space using a special design technique, the housing complex allowed for tenant interaction which helped to desegregate this facility, and it was financially stable causing tenants to like living in that facility.
First constructed in 1939[1], this public housing facility was designed by architect group called “The Association of Architects” that consisted of thirty four designers[2]. This group of architects created several different types of plans for various aspects of the Richard Allen Homes. The first plan that was created was known as “The Block Plan”.[3] This plan depicted how the appartments were structured within the streets. The Allen Homes create a rectangular shape that surrounds the community center which was located directly in the middle of the rectangle. This plan varied with buildings running north and south as well as east and west. On either end of the apartments above the community center, there were other structures that caused the row to be shortened. The school in the upper left corner was one of the structures and the railroad tracks that were on 9th street, which caused a lot of noise and pollution, was the other structure. Due to the railroad tracks, the upper right row was built in close proximity to the 10th street row[4]. The upper left corner contained the Spring Garden School which resulted in the shortening of the row facing Twelfth Street, and the east-west rotation of one of the central rows in order to leave room for the school.[5] The intention of this plan was to design the blocks in a way so that they were framed by buildings that created quiet spaces within, opportunities for daylight were ensured for tenants, and common spaces such as play-yards and the public rooms of the community building received a long south facade for maximum light and comfort[6]. The ideas that went into the designing of “The Block Plan” led the ideas that went into designing the actual complex.
The designing of the actual complex had the same layout as previous, but revolved around what actually was inside The Richard Allen Homes. The housing complex was designed to foster interactions between tenants and thus develop a sense of community[7]. This was accomplished by the designs of the buildings and the grounds. In the buildings, all units were entered by shared entrances[8]. In addition to this, the basements of the buildings were designed to be shared spaces so they typically contained the laundry facility and the furnace that heated each building[9]. The grounds were designed for the same exact purpose, which was to deepen the sense of community within. All of the space was shared with no fenced-off private yards. Instead, each group of buildings shared an interior courtyard that contained dryer yards for clothes, steel pipe playground equipment, and shade-sheds that protected the children from direct sunlight in treeless areas.[10] With the design and the layout of the buildings being already planned out, the next thing was to configure the third layout.
The third layout revolved around choosing all of the buildings materials and designing the layout within the buildings. All of the buildings exterior walls were made out of brick and cinder block with metal furring channels, while the interior walls consisted of plastered wire lath over metal studs and were remarkably thin[11]. The building’s apartments varied in two different ways. The first way to categorize a building was by one of the three building types: the smaller, unarticulated three-story buildings, the larger three-story buildings, and the four-story buildings[12]. With a total of 1,324 apartment buildings, 972 of those units are three-story.[13] The second way was to categorize them by whether they were a single-level flat or a duplex.[14] The flats were typically on the first floor while the duplexes occupied the upper levels.[15] All units had at least one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen and one living room.[16] These units suited mostly all tenants and made it conducive to family life.
Nowadays, Richard Allen still remains pretty much the same as it did when it was first built. Most units still have their original interior configuration with little change.[17] Minor alterations include exterior doors and windows being replaced, kitchens being modernized with newer cabinets, some flooring being replaced, and interior paint colors being updated[18]. Aside from these alterations, Richard Allen is still the same as it was 75 years ago when it was first built. Due to Richard Allen’s abundance of financially-manageable apartments, its unique interior and exterior design, and its community-like feel, numerous tenants have lived there nearly their whole lives. This goes to prove that with strong grounds and foundations, and unique layouts, buildings can last a lifetime.
[1] "PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[2] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[5]Ibid.
[6]Ibid.
[7]Ibid.
[8]Ibid.
[9]Ibid.
[10] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[11]Ibid.
[12]Ibid.
[13]Ibid.
[14]Ibid.
[15]Ibid.
[16]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[17] Ibid.
[18]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
What was once known as just merely a housing project to its tenants, has greatly developed into what over thousands of families can now consider “home”. The Richard Allen Homes, once known as The Poplar Project, was the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s first low-rent housing project to combine slum clearance with constructing new homes.[1] Richard Allen Homes was also one of the first public housing facilities to be funded by the federal government,[2] costing nearly $6,000,000[3]. Despite the challenges that the Richard Allen Homes faced, this public housing facility is unique in the sense that it can serve as a model for other public housing facilities facing the same struggles[4].
The Richard Allen Homes were built in 1939; however, the first tenants did not move into the 1,324 units distributed in 52 buildings until the spring of 1942. By the end of 1943, 24% of the residents were employed and almost half of them were employed with war work. The crime rate within Richard Allen decreased far below the citywide average[5]. Richard Allen started off good with both three and four story buildings. This facility showed other public housing facilities that low rise buildings were better than high rise because they did not need costly elevators nor high maintenance. By 1953, Richard Allen Homes were becoming noisy, vandalized, and littered with trash due to the abundant amount of people the homes contained. In the 1960s, crime notably increased in this facility and it was thus given round-the-clock security[6]. By the 1980s, it began to suffer from many of the ills, such as deteriorating conditions and mounting crime, that plagued government-run public housing projects[7].
In 1993, The Richard Allen Homes had to relocate the entire population of nearly three thousand people to a different site due to the fact that it became the destination of the largest mass-migration of people in the history of Philadelphia[8]. In 1996, the Philadelphia Housing Authority began a costly renewal of the Richard Allen Homes. Richard Allen's old dwellings were demolished and replaced with suburban development-style semi-detached homes[9]. Phase I, including the construction of the Gladys B. Jacobs Senior Building, was completed and opened in 1998. Phase II, which included the modernization of 141 homes and the addition of nine new homes, was completed in December 2001. Phase III, the construction of 178 new homes, was completed in the fall of 2003[10].
Nowadays, the Richard Allen Homes are sited around courtyards with a spacious community center, that is sandwiched in between the east and west wings. This center includes management offices, craft workshops, an auditorium, classrooms, a nursery, and a branch of The Free Library of Philadelphia[11]. This sense of community also contributed to the way the Richard Allen Homes served as a model for other projects. This community center allowed for interaction between tenants which helped to desegregate this facility. This showed other public housing facilities that private yards and not having a community center was not the best way to go. The completely redeveloped Richard Allen Homes features 408 housing units and hosts a mixed community ranging from young families to senior citizens[12]. The site is flat, repetitive, hard-surfaced, and urban in character[13]. With 52 buildings in total, 972 dwellings are in three-story buildings while 352 dwellings are in four-story buildings[14]. A typical dwelling unit consists of a living room with an adjacent kitchen, a bathroom, a bedroom, and storage areas[15]. This living style typically suits most of the residents within Richard Allen. Although the Philadelphia Housing Authority suffered many battles with the existence of The Richard Allen Homes, it is doing a lot better today than it was during the postwar period. It is a low rise facility, it has less crimes than it did before, it does not have costly high maintenance, and it can serve as a model for other public housing facilities dealing with the same issues.
[1] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[2] "PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[3] Tribune, Philadelphia. Overview of Philadelphia’s Post World War II Public housing projects and the Philadelphia Housing Authority. PDF. Philadelphia, PA
[4] Ibid.
[5] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[6] Ibid.
[7] PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[8] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[9]PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[10] Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[11]Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[12]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[13] United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. PDF. Philadelphia, PA.
[14] United States Department of the Interior National Park Service. PDF. Philadelphia, PA.
[15]Ibid.
Design:
This facility, located in North Philadelphia, consists of eight blocks in total, and hosts a majority of African American families. Unlike many other facilities, Richard Allen was able to stay the way it was since the time it was first constructed until present day. This is due to the fact that The Philadelphia Housing Authority was able to fit many apartments into a little amount of space using a special design technique, the housing complex allowed for tenant interaction which helped to desegregate this facility, and it was financially stable causing tenants to like living in that facility.
First constructed in 1939[1], this public housing facility was designed by architect group called “The Association of Architects” that consisted of thirty four designers[2]. This group of architects created several different types of plans for various aspects of the Richard Allen Homes. The first plan that was created was known as “The Block Plan”.[3] This plan depicted how the appartments were structured within the streets. The Allen Homes create a rectangular shape that surrounds the community center which was located directly in the middle of the rectangle. This plan varied with buildings running north and south as well as east and west. On either end of the apartments above the community center, there were other structures that caused the row to be shortened. The school in the upper left corner was one of the structures and the railroad tracks that were on 9th street, which caused a lot of noise and pollution, was the other structure. Due to the railroad tracks, the upper right row was built in close proximity to the 10th street row[4]. The upper left corner contained the Spring Garden School which resulted in the shortening of the row facing Twelfth Street, and the east-west rotation of one of the central rows in order to leave room for the school.[5] The intention of this plan was to design the blocks in a way so that they were framed by buildings that created quiet spaces within, opportunities for daylight were ensured for tenants, and common spaces such as play-yards and the public rooms of the community building received a long south facade for maximum light and comfort[6]. The ideas that went into the designing of “The Block Plan” led the ideas that went into designing the actual complex.
The designing of the actual complex had the same layout as previous, but revolved around what actually was inside The Richard Allen Homes. The housing complex was designed to foster interactions between tenants and thus develop a sense of community[7]. This was accomplished by the designs of the buildings and the grounds. In the buildings, all units were entered by shared entrances[8]. In addition to this, the basements of the buildings were designed to be shared spaces so they typically contained the laundry facility and the furnace that heated each building[9]. The grounds were designed for the same exact purpose, which was to deepen the sense of community within. All of the space was shared with no fenced-off private yards. Instead, each group of buildings shared an interior courtyard that contained dryer yards for clothes, steel pipe playground equipment, and shade-sheds that protected the children from direct sunlight in treeless areas.[10] With the design and the layout of the buildings being already planned out, the next thing was to configure the third layout.
The third layout revolved around choosing all of the buildings materials and designing the layout within the buildings. All of the buildings exterior walls were made out of brick and cinder block with metal furring channels, while the interior walls consisted of plastered wire lath over metal studs and were remarkably thin[11]. The building’s apartments varied in two different ways. The first way to categorize a building was by one of the three building types: the smaller, unarticulated three-story buildings, the larger three-story buildings, and the four-story buildings[12]. With a total of 1,324 apartment buildings, 972 of those units are three-story.[13] The second way was to categorize them by whether they were a single-level flat or a duplex.[14] The flats were typically on the first floor while the duplexes occupied the upper levels.[15] All units had at least one bedroom, one bathroom, one kitchen and one living room.[16] These units suited mostly all tenants and made it conducive to family life.
Nowadays, Richard Allen still remains pretty much the same as it did when it was first built. Most units still have their original interior configuration with little change.[17] Minor alterations include exterior doors and windows being replaced, kitchens being modernized with newer cabinets, some flooring being replaced, and interior paint colors being updated[18]. Aside from these alterations, Richard Allen is still the same as it was 75 years ago when it was first built. Due to Richard Allen’s abundance of financially-manageable apartments, its unique interior and exterior design, and its community-like feel, numerous tenants have lived there nearly their whole lives. This goes to prove that with strong grounds and foundations, and unique layouts, buildings can last a lifetime.
[1] "PhilaPlace - Richard Allen Homes." PhilaPlace RSS. http://www.philaplace.org/story/252/
[2] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[5]Ibid.
[6]Ibid.
[7]Ibid.
[8]Ibid.
[9]Ibid.
[10] Perloff, Carol B. Historic American Buildings Survey: Richard Allen Homes. PDF. Philadelphia.
[11]Ibid.
[12]Ibid.
[13]Ibid.
[14]Ibid.
[15]Ibid.
[16]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.
[17] Ibid.
[18]Richard Allen Fact Sheet. PDF. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Housing Authority.