Confucius Plaza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Confucius Plaza | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Interactive map of the Confucius Plaza area | |
| General information | |
| Type | residential apartments |
| Location | Chinatown, Manhattan, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°42′53″N 73°59′46″W / 40.71472°N 73.99611°W |
| Completed | 1975 |
| Opening | December 1975 |
| Cost | US$38.387 million |
| Operator | Mitchell-Lama Housing Program |
| Height | |
| Roof | 433 feet (132 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 44 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architects | Horowitz & Chun |
| Structural engineer | Rosenwasser / Grossman |
| Main contractor | DeMatteis Organizations |
| Confucius Plaza | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 孔子廣場[1] | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 孔子广场 | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Confucius Plaza Apartments is a limited-equity housing cooperative in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City built as an affordable housing development under the Mitchell–Lama Housing Program. The 44-story brown brick tower block complex (433 ft (132 m)) with 762 apartments was constructed in 1975 at a cost of $38.387 million.[2] The building was the first major public-funded housing project built for almost exclusively Chinese Americans.[3]
The Yung Wing Public School, P.S. 124 (K–5), shops, community space, and a daycare center are located beneath the apartments. The complex is located north of Chatham Square at the intersection of Bowery, Doyers Street, and Division Street.
by Liu Shih
One of the most frequently visited landmarks in Chinatown is the 15-foot bronze statue of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, in front of the complex. Sculpted by Liu Shih, the statue was presented by the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association as a token of appreciation, and to commemorate the U.S. bicentennial. At its base, a Confucian proverb is inscribed aside an American Flag, praising a just government with remarkable leaders of wisdom and ability.[4][5]
During the construction of Confucius Plaza, Asian American activists organized several successful protests alleging discriminatory hiring practices by the contractor, DeMatteis Organization, for refusing to hire Asian construction workers.[6] On May 16, 1974, a protest of 250 individuals organized by Asian Americans for Equal Employment (now Asian Americans for Equality) resulted in a work stoppage when protestors entered the construction site.[7] Protestors held signs in English and Chinese which stated "The Asians build the railroad; Why not Confucius Plaza" and "DeMatteis, you are big racist."[8] Over 55 people were arrested for trespassing and disorderly conduct. Several weeks later, DeMatteis agreed to hire 27 minority workers.[7]
When the housing development was first completed in the mid 1970s, the purchase price of the apartments were going for $2000 to $3000 with the carrying charges being around $200 - $300. Despite the better modernized amenities of the development's apartment units than the overall tenement buildings in the neighborhood, there were many residents from Manhattan's Chinatown that initially had hesitancy to want to apply for the great opportunity to access better modernized housing conditions when it was first erected in the 1970s due to the fact many were living in rent stabilized tenement apartments that were lower in rent cost albeit the overcrowding substandard tenement conditions they were dealing with.[9] [10]Up until recent times, the purchase costs and carrying charges have remained very low, in late 2022, there was an advertisement for an opening to accept requests for applications for three and four bedroom apartments that were over $3000, but under $4000 in purchase cost with carrying charges being between $500 to a little over $1000. [11]
A section of Second Avenue Subway tunnel was built in the 1970s, constructed concurrently with the plaza underneath it, and is lightly graffitied.[12][13]
