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New York, United States
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19 St James Pl, New York, NY 10038, USA
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Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses, or the Alfred E. Smith Houses. is a public housing development built by the New York City Housing Authority in the Two Bridges neighborhood of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The development was named after four-time New York Governor Al Smith (1873–1944), the first Catholic to win a Presidential nomination by a major political party, and a social reformer who made progress in the areas of better living and working conditions. Smith served as governor from 1919–1920 and 1923–1929, and was nominated unsuccessfully by the Democratic Party in 1928, with Joseph Taylor Robinson as his running mate.There are 12 buildings in the complex; all are 17 stories tall. It covers 21.75 acres (8.80 ha), has 1,931 apartments, and houses an estimated 5,739 people. Of the residents at the Governor Alfred E. Smith Houses, 30% are elderly, the highest such percentage of all public housing developments in New York City. The grounds are bordered by St. James Place to the west, Madison Street to the north, Catherine Street to the east, and South Street to the south.The razing of buildings for the construction of the complex began in 1950, and the buildings were completed on April 1, 1953.Nearby are the Alfred E. Smith Park, a 2.77-acre (1.12 ha) park with memorials for Governor Smith located at the corner of South St, Catherine Slip, and Madison St, the Alfred E. Smith Recreational Center, which has community rooms and a gymnasium, and P.S. 126.Singer Luther Vandross was raised in the Alfred E. Smith Houses public housing development.
