Williamsburg Houses

The Williamsburg Houses represent a landmark shift in American urban design, serving as one of the country's first projects to embrace the principles of the Modern Movement. When construction began in 1935, developers demolished over 500 existing buildings to clear the 23-acre site, relocating thousands of residents to make way for a vision that prioritized light, air, and open space over the traditional, cramped city grid. Mayor Fiorello La Guardia personally signaled the project's ambition by pouring the first shovel of concrete himself.