The project's chief architect was
Richmond Shreve, and the design team of nine other architects was led by the Swiss-American modernist
William Lescaze, whose
PSFS Building of 1928–1932 was one of the first major
International Style buildings in the United States. The construction contract was awarded to
Starrett Brothers & Eken, which had worked closely with Shreve on the
Empire State Building and later built the housing developments in
Parkchester,
Stuyvesant Town, and
Peter Cooper Village.
Facade The development is approximately 25 acres between Maujer, Scholes, Leonard Streets, and Bushwick Avenue. Its 20 four-story residential buildings occupy twelve city blocks. The buildings are positioned to allow a sequence of courtyards, playgrounds, and ball courts between them; a school and community building are part of the
site plan, and two curving pedestrian pathways cut through the grounds. The buildings have one of three shapes, viewed from overhead: a capital "H," lowercase "h," and a "T" shape. The T-shaped buildings are in the middle of the complex, with both H-shaped buildings surrounding them. The houses are oriented towards the sun at a 15-degree angle. Each building has a light tan brick facade, and building entrances are marked by blue tiles and stainless steel canopies. Commercial storefronts run parallel to the streets and accompany apartment buildings throughout many locations. Although the materials are not historically accurate, the new elevations are similar to the originals. Between Maujer Street and Ten Eyck Walk, on either side of Graham Avenue, are the largest storefronts. Graham Avenue (near Scholes Street), Leonard Street (near Maujer Street), and Bushwick Avenue (between Maujer and Stagg Walk) all have smaller retail spaces. Graham Avenue near Scholes Street, Leonard Street near Maujer Street, and Bushwick Avenue between Maujer and Stagg Walk all have smaller retail spaces.
Murals (pictured in 1938) with his artwork. Because of its innovative
International Style design, the housing project designs called for the inclusion of modern art. Working with Lescaze, the NYC
Federal Arts Project mural division, headed by abstract artist
Burgoyne Diller, handled the commissions. Five abstract murals by
Ilya Bolotowsky,
Balcomb Greene,
Paul Kelpe, and
Albert Swinden were installed in basement meeting rooms in the late 1930s. These murals were rediscovered in the late 1980s after having been painted over for some time. After careful removal and restoration, the Williamsburg murals were installed at the
Brooklyn Museum in 1990, where they remain on long-term loan from NYCHA. Other artists received commissions for the project, but their murals were ultimately not used.
Stuart Davis painted a large semi-abstract mural entitled
Swing Landscape for the project, but the work was instead sold by the Federal Art Gallery in New York, eventually landing up at the Indiana University Art Museum.
Francis Criss completed a 1938 oil-on-canvas mural called
Sixth Avenue El, a realist abstraction of a
Sixth Avenue El platform. The subject was timely, given that the elevated line was closed in late 1938 and razed in 1939. However, Criss's mural was never installed and now forms part of the
Whitney Museum of American Art collection. According to
Time magazine, it was rejected because the color scheme did not match the prescribed colors for the project.Other artists engaged for the mural commissions were
Jan Matulka,
Byron Browne,
George McNeil,
Willem de Kooning,
Harry Bowden, and Eugene Morley. Abstract sculptures, including work by Martin Craig and
Jose de Rivera, were also part of the initial plans. The uncompleted murals and sculptures status has not been fully established. ==History==