River Park Towers (1975)
Bronx, NY

1654 UNITS • NYC URBAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

Sponsored by the New York City Urban Development Corporation, this massive 1654-unit moderate- and low-income housing complex is sited on a strip of land between the Major Deegan Expressway and the Harlem River at the north end of Manhattan. A new bridge above the expressway links the complex with parking facilities, a new recreation center, school and waterside park. The faceted towers command spectacular views of New York, and create a strong urban presence in the community.

The project is marked by a pair of striking conjoined towers of 38 and 42 stories, made distinct by their mirrored plans and syncopated positioning. In contrast to the horizontal red-brown brick of typical housing developments of the time, River Park Towers is adorned in eight-inch-square, “super bricks” designed by Davis Brody Bond. The towers soar upward from the Morris Heights neighborhood in the Bronx, just across a narrow Harlem River divide from Manhattan’s Fort George area. From this location, River Park Towers looks over the river at the leafy Harlem River Park, fronted by a stretch of Harlem River Drive that becomes FDR Drive south of the Triborough Bridge.

The distinctive towers grow wider towards the top — in a similar manner to Waterside, which opened a the year before down the River — thus optimizing the spectacular views offered by the unique site: Yankee Stadium, the George Washington Bridge, and the Whitestone and Throgs Neck Bridges in the distance.