Robert Fulton Houses

What secrets do the Robert Fulton Houses hold? The Robert Fulton Houses stand silently, a complex of brick and concrete in Chelsea. They have witnessed the ebb and flow of city life since their completion in 1965. The Robert Fulton Houses were designed by Brown & Guenther as a “vest pocket” site, cleverly retaining the existing street grid. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on October 15, 1962, marking the start of a new chapter for this Chelsea neighborhood. These buildings, three soaring 25 stories high and eight others a more modest 6 stories, house 945 apartments. Originally built for the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the Robert Fulton Houses are named after the renowned engineer and inventor, Robert Fulton. He was the mind behind the steamboat, a revolutionary invention that transformed transportation in the 19th century. But by 2019, NYCHA was facing financial difficulties. The de Blasio administration began exploring partnerships with private developers. This was not surprising given the Robert Fulton Houses’ location in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood. The median asking rent in the area soared to $3,462. While the average monthly rent for residents in the Fulton Houses remained a significantly lower $660. In early 2023, Related Companies and Essence Development proposed a radical plan: a complete rebuild of the Robert Fulton Houses and the neighboring Chelsea-Elliott Houses. A resident survey in June 2023 revealed a surprising result. More than half of the respondents favored demolition and new construction over renovation. NYCHA officials estimated the existing complexes needed a staggering $1 billion in repairs. They stated that building anew would be roughly the same cost. By November 2024, NYCHA’s board officially approved the redevelopment. A team of architects from PAU, COOKFOX Architects, and ILA were brought on board to design the new Fulton Elliott-Chelsea Plan. Their ambitious design called for six new towers to be built on the combined sites. These new structures would accommodate a mix of incomes. This process, however, wasn’t without controversy. Critics argued that only about a quarter of the tenants participated in the survey. Despite these concerns, prominent figures like Mayor Adams, local politicians, and HUD officials joined tenant association leaders in supporting the plan. The Robert Fulton Houses stand as a testament to changing times, facing a future quite different from its past.